“Experts Weigh in on XBB.1.16 Outbreak in China During Labor Day Holiday: Likelihood of Second COVID-19 Wave Less Likely, but Public Urged to Vaccinate and Maintain Hygiene”

2023-04-19 07:37:00

Netizens are worried that China may have a second wave of COVID-19 outbreaks from the new strain XBB.1.16 during the Labor Day holiday. But experts say the likelihood of a new pandemic is less likely.

News of an XBB.1.16 case in China swept through Chinese social media on Tuesday (April 18). XBB.1.16, or Arcturus, is a subspecies of the virus. -19 Omicron species And the World Health Organization is watching right now. The epidemic has been found in about 30 countries and territories. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s Department of Health said on Monday that seven people had been infected with the virus from samples collected in Hong Kong.

News of the XBB.1.16 outbreak comes as people in China eagerly await the May Day holiday from April 29 to May 3.

Now there is widespread speculation that When will China have a second wave of the epidemic?

Zhuang Shilihe, an immunologist in Guangzhou, said precise calculations were difficult. Because there are many variables such as the nature of the virus. People’s immunity levels and behavior The majority of opinions believe that China will not have a second round of outbreaks, but the problem is how many months will the outbreaks be separated?

While many Chinese respiratory experts noted that China is unlikely to be infected with COVID-19. Broadly, a new ripple arose again. After the first outbreak since late 2022, the chief epidemiologist at China’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said at a forum on April 13 that the COVID-19 outbreak 19 The whole world is coming to an end. According to data from the World Health Organization

Immunologist Zhuang tried to alleviate public concern, explaining that the red eye syndrome caused by XBB.1.16 is not a new symptom. But it is one of the symptoms that has been seen in previous COVID-19 patients, according to the Chinese CDC.

Professor David Hui of the Chinese University of Hong Kong A leading expert in public health states that XBB.1.16 is highly infectious. But Hong Kong has yet to find any patients with severe symptoms.

According to the CDC, China’s COVID-19 infection rate In China, it rose slightly from 0.7 percent on March 30 to 1.4 percent on April 6.

However, Chinese experts urge people to vaccinate. maintain hygiene and wear a mask when in crowded places to hedge As China opens up and people travel in the country bustling as the Labor Day holiday approaches.

Source: Global Times / South China Morning Post