The Omicron sub-variant known as BA.2 has the Chinese city of Shanghai on lockdown.

Twenty-six million residents have already done one round of testing and are scheduled for two more – with thousands of asymptomatic cases reported. Meanwhile, countries across Europe are seeing an uptick in infections, but many continue to lift mask mandates and ease travel restrictions.

Even though cases in the United States have dropped, experts say removing pandemic measures could increase the risk of infections with the sub-variant reaching its borders.

Joining the discussion:

• Dr. William Haseltine is the Chair & President of ACCESS Health International  and author of ” Omicron: From Pandemic to Endemic: The Future of Covid-19.”
• Dr. Chris Smith is a Consultant Clinical Virologist at the University of Cambridge.
• Yan Liang is the Endowed Chair and Professor of Economics at Willamette University.
• Einar Tangen is a Political and Economic Affairs Commentator.

Here's what we know about the new Covid-19 variant found in the U.K., Omicron XE: https://t.co/GfXFByGvqN pic.twitter.com/3sj5iT2yAn

— Forbes (@Forbes) April 6, 2022

#Shanghai is turning its National Exhibition and Convention Center into a temporary hospital to accommodate #COVID19 patients. Once completed, it is expected to provide 40,000 beds, the largest provisional hospital in the city. https://t.co/HPWEeMQyo0 pic.twitter.com/kP87kRZw4w

— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) April 5, 2022