Chinese authorities are rushing to distribute vaccines to combat an ongoing new wave of coronavirus that is expected to peak in June and infect up to 65 million people a week as the new XBB variants of the virus evolve to to overcome the immunity developed after China’s abrupt departure from its “zero Covid” policy last year, the Washington Post reported.
According to official media sources cited by the Washington Post, top Chinese epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan said Monday that two new vaccinations for the XBB omicron subvariants (including XBB.1.9.1, XBB.1.5 and XBB.1.16) are preliminary were administered approval. At a biotech symposium in Guangzhou, Zhong said three to four more vaccines will be approved soon, but gave no further details.
The new outbreak could be the biggest outbreak ever recorded since China’s strict zero-Covid program was abandoned last winter, causing up to 85 percent of the population to become ill at the time.
Despite the surge in infections in the United States due to the new variants, the public health emergency was declared over on May 11, although experts have not ruled out the possibility that new variants could trigger another wave of the disease, according to the Washington Post in the coming years.
Officials in China claim the current wave will be less severe, but public health experts believe a vigorous vaccination program and a steady supply of antiviral drugs in hospitals are essential to stem a further rise in mortality among the large elderly population of the country to prevent
Another epidemiologist at the Hong Kong University School of Public Health: “The number of infections will be lower. The severe cases will certainly be fewer and the number of deaths will be fewer, but that could still be a large number,” he adds. “Even.” If we assume it’s a milder wave, it could they nonetheless have significant health impacts on the community.”
According to the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the swings have pushed the number of cases since last month, with Covid overtaking the flu as the most common infectious disease in the last two weeks of April.
Health experts have reassured the public that reinfections will result in milder symptoms and that hospitals will not be overwhelmed like last winter. Some medical facilities have recommended that residents wear masks and stay away from busy areas if they are elderly or immunocompromised, according to the Washington Post.
Still, restrictions similar to those seen in the zero-Covid era when China tried to halt all diseases have not been reintroduced, and the majority of citizens seem to be going about their daily lives as usual.
Olivia Zhang, 33, who works at an amusement park in Beijing, said she felt the impact wasn’t that big, adding: “But they will only be out for a short time before going back to work.” No one is afraid to be around her.”
Several complaints have surfaced online about a university in Nanjing forcing positive students to quarantine in dormitories. Other students posted online that they had quarantined themselves at school to avoid infecting family members at home, The Washington Post reported.