The decisions of the Chinese authorities to ease measures to confront the Corona virus have raised concerns about potential risks, linked to a decrease in vaccination rates among the older groups, and expectations of a new viral wave.
In recent days, local officials in a number of major cities have revealed the lifting of some restrictions imposed by the authorities as part of efforts to contain the spread of the Corona virus, including ending the mandatory examination test for people who wish to use public transportation or enter other public places.
“new approach”
The new shifts in China’s policies to confront the Corona virus, which some experts interpreted as part of a new approach to dealing with the epidemic, come after protests in different regions of the country, to demand an end to the closure measures and an expansion of the margins of freedoms, in a wave of widespread demonstrations.
China is making efforts to speed up vaccinations of the elderly and other vulnerable groups, which public health experts say need higher vaccination rates before Beijing can fully ease coronavirus restrictions, as is the case in the rest of the world.
Despite the success of the “zero Covid” policy imposed by the Chinese authorities, in reducing death rates compared to other countries, the continuation of its measures for three years represented a source of “frustration for the Chinese, as it affects their daily lives and harms the local economy,” according to him. Wall Street Journal.
Last week, thousands of Chinese went out to protest the continuation of the closure policies, but the authorities were able to control the unrest through heavy security in major cities, tracking demonstrators and curbing opposition voices on local social media, as well as softening Chinese officials’ tone about the dangers of Corona, And announcing that efforts to combat it have entered a new phase, according to Guardian.
Chinese President Xi Jinping told EU Council President Charles Michel that the spread of the less lethal Omicron variant among Corona variants could allow Beijing to ease lockdown decisions.
Warnings
And at a time when Chinese officials announced the easing of measures to combat the virus, epidemiologists are raising warnings that the country is “not yet ready to lift precautionary measures, with potential risks of facing a dangerous virus wave.”
And Professor of Public Health at the University of Edinburgh, Linda Bauld, indicated that although studies show a decrease in the strength of Omicron compared to other variants, “this does not mean that it is underestimated,” explaining that “this variant has proven to be less lethal in countries that have known vaccination rates.” high or whose citizens have acquired immunity to the virus.
And vaccination rates in China remain relatively low, especially among the elderly, as only 40 percent of people over the age of eighties have received booster shots, and the number of people who have acquired antibodies remains low, according to data reported by the Guardian.
The newspaper notes that Hong Kong’s painful experience with the outbreak of the Omicron mutant last spring reflects the magnitude of the challenges that China could face if it mishandled the decision to ease measures to combat the virus.
In this context, Professor of Infectious Diseases at the London College of Health, Martin Hibberd, confirmed to the Guardian newspaper that although the spread of Omicron was small in Hong Kong, the death rate due to it was high, “noting that China should take into account these aspects in decisions.” that you take.
Beijing announced that it will accelerate the vaccination of people aged 60 and over against Covid, in conjunction with mitigation measures.
In this context, the Guardian reported that China’s refusal to rely on any foreign vaccines for the Corona virus, and its adherence to those that are produced locally, which some studies have indicated to their weak effectiveness, could bring other risks to China.
The World Health Organization welcomed China’s easing of restrictions to confront the virus, but its Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, also warned of the consequences of the emergence of new variants among the large number of the population that had not been vaccinated against the virus.
“We are much closer to being able to say that the emergency period has ended, but we have not yet reached this stage,” he said during a press conference.
“The gaps in monitoring, testing and vaccination continue to provide ideal conditions for the emergence of a new and worrisome variant,” he added.