The growing cautions of many countries, which are approving new restrictions for those arriving from China, seem to reflect a global concern about the situation in Beijing. Among the main fears, that of a new variant different from Omicron
The latest was French President Emmanuel Macron, who today asked his government to take adequate measures to counter the spread of Covid-19 from China, for example among Chinese passengers arriving at airports. It already happens in various countries. Incoming passengers from India, Japan, Taiwan and the United States are being asked for a swab. And Italy: random checks carried out by Santo Stefano among Chinese passengers arriving at Malpensa found 46% of those arrested positive for Covid-19. Misinformed and manipulated decisions, objected the Chinese foreign minister. Without to add much more.
The growing cautions of many foreign countries towards China seem to reflect a global concern also about the transparency and timeliness of any communications from Beijing on the epidemiological situation. China has recently completely relaxed its anti-Covid measures also following intense (and informal) protests from citizens. The movement of people in the cities resumed almost completely in December, and so that of the virus: unofficial epidemiological estimates put one million dead into account. The government is much more vague.
The latest news on Covid from Italy, China and the world
The official version
After strong protests from citizens, in early December the Chinese government declared the end of the Zero Covid policy which it had continued to pursue since the beginning of the pandemic, with very strict lockdowns of entire cities and neighborhoods in the face of even a few cases. Having effectively dismantled this structure of rules, China passed in a few days to what appears to be a lack of plans. For days, videos and independent sources of information have reported an increase in infections, strong pressure on the health system, collapsing intensive care units. The authorities officially record zero, two, five deaths a day. also thanks to a new method imposed by the government in counting mortality for Covid; the international press reports rows of hearses towards the crematoria and collects testimonies of families full of mourning for Covid-19. Reuters and Bloomberg show photos of long queues of black cars and coffins, and in response the authorities have those same streets patrolled the following day by the police.
Projections with mathematical models elaborated by international institutes argue that in the coming months 60% of the Chinese could be infected, and that the real death count of this new wave – also of Omicron, considered to have lower mortality by the government – could rise up to million.
The risk of variations
The greatest fear concerns, of course, the spread of variants. Already in recent days, the US State Department spokesman has called for vigilance because in this situation there is the possibility that the coronavirus will change again as it spreads in China and represents a new threat to the world’s population. Giorgia Meloni in her press conference at the end of the year, on Thursday, gave an account of the tests carried out at the airports, declaring that the first sequenced cases relating to passengers arriving from China concern Omicron variants already present in Italy.
December 29, 2022 (change December 29, 2022 | 15:22)
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