China yesterday reported 13,146 COVID-19 cases, the most since the peak of the first wave more than two years ago, as health officials said they have found a suspected new subtype of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 in the Shanghai area. China’s “zero COVID” strategy is under extreme pressure as the virus whips across the country. Until last month, China had successfully kept its daily caseload down to double or triple digits, with hard, localized lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions. However, cases have in the past few weeks surged to thousands each day, especially in the outbreak epicenter of Shanghai, where