Covid-19

COVID-19 infections have ranked as the most prevalent virus in Beijing for four weeks after overtaking the city's influenza cases in late April, according to the COVID-19 weekly reports released by the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control on Wednesday. According to the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, the number of cases involving 16 kinds of notifiable infectious diseases across Beijing has risen to 25,544 from May 15 to May 21, a four-fold increase compared with the number from April 24 to April 30. Respiratory infectious diseases accounted for 96.5 percent of the 25,544 cases. The Health Times affiliated to People's Daily reported that Beijing's influenza cases had topped COVID-19 ones since February 6, but were then overtaken by COVID-19 infections from April 24. Influenza cases were overtaken by infectious diarrhea ones and have dropped to the third place from May 15 to May 21. China's top respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan said on Monday at the 2023 Greater Bay Area Science Forum that a new COVID-19 infection wave in 2023 will likely peak in late June at about 65 million cases per week. According to Zhong, a small wave of COVID-19 infections at the end of…

Beijing, however, offers no timeline for Indian students China’s Premier Li Keqiang has said all international students may return to China as the country considers increasing international flights more than two years into the pandemic. Tens of thousands of foreign students, including several thousand Indian medical students, have been awaiting a return to China to resume their studies, with many expressing concerns about their ability to graduate as they remain stranded overseas. Speaking at a World Economic Forum dialogue with global business leaders, Mr. Li, the second-ranked leader, said China “will make its COVID control measures more targeted and well-calibrated under the premise of ensuring safety against COVID infections, including steadily improving visa and COVID testing policies, and further resuming and increasing international passenger flights in an orderly way.” “All international students may return to China to continue their studies should they so wish, and outbound commerce and trade activities and cross-border travel for labour services will be advanced in an orderly fashion,” he added. Officials, when asked about Mr. Li’s comments, did not, however, offer a timetable. “We welcome the return of Indian and other foreign students to China and will make corresponding arrangements,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin…Original link

6月1日起，进入全面恢复全市正常生产生活秩序阶段，全面实施疫情防控常态化管理 Shanghai will fully resume normal production and life and put routinized disease prevention and control in place starting from June 1. 今天（5月31日）上午举行的市疫情防控工作新闻发布会上，副市长宗明通报：本轮疫情发生以来，我市毫不动摇坚持“动态清零”总方针，坚决遏制疫情扩散蔓延，确保人民群众生命安全和身体健康。 At the press conference on preventing and controlling COVID-19 in Shanghai held on the morning of May 31, Ms. Zong Ming, Vice Mayor of Shanghai, briefed that since the resurgence of virus, Shanghai has adhered to the overall plan of dynamic case clearing unswervingly and spared no efforts in curbing the spread of disease to protect the safety and health of the people. 在全市人民共同努力下，日前全市单日新增本土阳性感染者人数降至两位数（昨天29例），封控区总人数降至20万以下，防范区总人数达到2200万以上，疫情得到有效控制，防控形势持续向好。但降新增、防反弹任务依然艰巨，需要我们继续努力，也需要广大市民朋友继续给予支持和配合。 Under the joint efforts of people across the city, the newly-added local positive infections were reduced to 29 on May 30. The people in the lockdown zones are controlled under 200,000 while those in the precaution zones exceed 22 million. COVID-19 in Shanghai has been brought under effective control and overall situation is trending upward. But the task of reducing new cases and preventing re-emergence of virus is challenging, it requires continued efforts as well as support and cooperation from all residents. 根据我市持续巩固疫情防控成果、有序恢复正常生产生活秩序总体方案的安排，6月1日起，全市将进入第三阶段，即全面恢复全市正常生产生活秩序阶段。之前，我们已在奉贤、金山、崇明三个区，开展恢复正常生产生活秩序的压力测试。下一步，我们将在严守不出现规模性反弹底线、确保风险可控的前提下，全面实施疫情防控常态化管理，全面恢复全市正常生产生活秩序。这里，重点介绍几个市民比较关心的工作措施。 In accordance with the overall plan on resuming normal production and life amid on-going consolidation of achievements made in combating the disease across the city, Shanghai will enter into the…

'Fourth dose' or combination vaccine being evaluated in China: Gao Fu, head of the Chinese CDC In a live online interview on Sunday, Gao Fu, head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), noted that vaccine upgrading is the next step in the world's scientific response to COVID-19. It is still under evaluation whether China will launch a 'fourth dose' of the vaccine or promote mixing injections, he said. With the current mutation of the virus and breakthrough infections in the population, vaccine upgrading is one of the next steps against the COVID-19, Gao said. Both Sinopharm and Sinovac have new inactivated vaccines for the Omicron variant in clinical trials, Gao noted, and his team's recombinant protein vaccine, ZF2001, is in intensive development with some data already published. Earlier, Zhifei Longcom, the manufacturer of the ZF2001 vaccine, released encouraging data showing that the shot is 75.7 percent effective against symptomatic and 87.6 percent effective against severe-to-critical COVID-19 cases for six months following full vaccination. Drug research is also the next focus for infectious disease control, Gao said. "In addition to biopharmaceuticals and small molecule drugs, we have found some components in Traditional Chinese Medicine that can inhibit…

China on Monday launched the world's first clinical research on a sequential trial of an Omicron-specific vaccine candidate in Central China's Hunan Province. It will evaluate the vaccine's safety and immunogenicity in humans and the research is expected to be completed in about three to four months. Zhang Yuntao, chief scientist from the China National Biotec Group (CNBG) - developer of the vaccine candidate, who attended the launch ceremony - told the Global Times on Monday that the clinical study, which plans to enroll more than 4,000 volunteers, is the world's largest clinical study of a vaccine against the Omicron variant. "In this study, a randomized, double-blind, controlled study design was used to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the Omicron-specific vaccine in volunteers aged 18 years and above who had received two or three doses of COVID-19 vaccines at different intervals and in different dose sequences," Zhang said. The plan for this clinical study will need to be determined after further discussions with experts and drug authorities, and it is expected to take about three to four months to complete, Zhang said. In April, Sinopharm obtained clinical trial approval from the National Medical Products Administration and approval from the…Original link

A Chinese vaccination for the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been approved for clinical trials, reports CGTN. The vaccine was developed by the China National Biotec Group (which has affiliations with Sinopharm) and was approved by the National Medical Products Administration on Tuesday, April 26. Preliminary tests – such as safety evaluations in animals and immunogenicity research – showed that the vaccine is capable of producing antibodies that can fight off COVID variants, including Omicron. China National Biotec Group have previously developed COVID-19 vaccines in the country and conducted research into its many variants, including Beta and Delta. The trial will be carried out on adults aged 18 and above who have been inoculated with two or three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

CHINA has ordered Shanghai, Guangzhou and 6 other cities to shorten quarantines for overseas travellers and those who've had close contact with infected individuals as authorities test potential tweaks to the country's rigorous Covid measures, according to people familiar with the matter. The cities are reducing the period to 10 days from 14 days as part of a trial that began on Monday (Apr 11) this week and will run for a month. Apartment complexes, retail outlets, office buildings and other locations locked down because of infections will also be allowed to open after 10 consecutive days without a positive test result, shortened from the 14 days previously required, they said. The other cities in the trial are Suzhou, Ningbo, Xiamen, Qingdao, Chengdu and Dalian, the people said. China's strict adherence to a policy that seeks to snuff out infections, as opposed to learning to live with the virus as other countries are, has seen millions locked down in their homes as the much more infectious Omicron variant spreads across the country. That's fuelled public anger in places such as Shanghai, where residents have struggled to secure supplies of food and other daily necessities, and depressed activity in the world's…Original link

• Beijing has rolled out tax relief and other beneficial policies such as more favourable loan rates and rent exemptions, rather than cash handouts • Some Omicron-hit regions such as Shanghai and Tianjin are also implementing local support measures, but analysts still expect a big hit to consumption Beijing says it has stepped up relief measures for coronavirus-hit businesses, as the highly contagious Omicron variant has spread to 28 of the country’s 31 provincial jurisdictions and authorities stick to their zero-Covid strategy that involves large-scale lockdowns and mass testing. In addition to a planned 2.5 trillion yuan (US$393 billion) tax cut, authorities have also rolled out a variety of supportive measures, including rent exemption and credit support. Relief packages announced so far Premier Li Keqiang announced the 2.5 trillion yuan tax-cut package at the “two sessions” in early March, and it is considerably larger than last year’s 1.1 trillion yuan.   Key points: Value-added tax (VAT) will continue to be exempted for small taxpayers – those with monthly sales revenue of below 150,000 yuan Income tax will be halved if annual payment is between 1 million and 3 million yuan 1.5 trillion yuan worth of VAT refunds planned for this…Original link

China will unwaveringly adhere to the dynamic-zero case strategy, officials from the National Health Commission (NHC) stressed on Wednesday, as the Chinese mainland reported 20,000 daily new cases, the highest number since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite stringent measures to contain the virus across the country, domestic cases continue to spike, putting the country to a test as never before, with 1,383 confirmed cases and 19,089 asymptomatic cases reported on Tuesday alone. From March 1 through April 5, the mainland reported 176,455 COVID-19 infections, affecting 29 provincial-level regions. The epidemic is characterized by a combination of scaled outbreaks and sporadic cases, and the occurrence of more spillovers and new cases, Lei Zhenglong of the NHC said at a press conference on Wednesday. The continued surge has pushed many to question if the dynamic zero-case strategy is still effective in containing the spread of Omicron. Will China abandon the policy that was once lauded for its success in beating the virus over the past two years? Mi Feng, NHC spokesperson, gave the answer at Wednesday's press conference, saying that as the domestic epidemic is surging quickly and some community transmission has yet to be cut off, China should unwaveringly…

Relaxing stringent novel coronavirus control measures in China could risk crushing the national healthcare system and result in a surge in deaths, Health Minister Ma Xiaowei said in an article released on Wednesday. In a country with a population of over 1.4 billion, even a contagious disease with very low rates of incidence and mortality can lead to a large number of infections and deaths, he said. "No national medical system in the world could withstand such a huge number," he said, adding that merely focusing on treatment and ignoring prevention will likely devastate China's healthcare system. If you are our daily readers, please join the group, chance to win daily red packets and coupons Ma said that China's dynamic zero-COVID strategy, which features rapid and precise measures to stem new outbreaks as soon as possible, is the country's best weapon against the virus. To cope with the fast-spreading Omicron strain, Ma said local authorities should step up preparedness in quarantine facilities, ranging from building large, dedicated isolation sites to retrofitting existing facilities. The construction of fangcang, or makeshift hospitals, should also be swift so that patients that are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms can be treated and relieve the…

Twenty international students from the Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics（ZUFE) were issued warnings after violating the government enforced COVID prevention and control requirements, by visiting other cities and provinces without completing the appropriate check-in requirements upon returning. The first group was seven students, reported to have “concealed and delayed reporting their location,” violating the COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control requirements of Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics and COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control regulations. The regulations are enacted by the School of International Education and Studies, in caution, control and prevention of the epidemic period, which requires a daily-health check in and prior approval to leave Hangzhou. Another thirteen students were the second batch of international students who broke the same regulation. All twenty were issued awarning, which consists of a mark on their records and disqualifies the students for any scholarship for the academic year 2022/2023. Let this serve as awarning for all students and residents to abide by government regulations for asafer environment and speedier recovery against COVID-19 prevention methods. Source: ZUFEOriginal link

By Alistair Baker-Brian The Chinese mainland has been battling a new outbreak of COVID-19 in recent weeks, with a surge in cases of the Omicron variant. It represents the country’s worst outbreak since the Sars-Cov-2 virus first spread across China in early 2020. Make no mistake, China is still implementing its “dynamic zero-COVID” policy which seeks to eliminate the virus rather than “live with it.” That’s why schools in Shanghai have gone online, why tens of thousands of people were locked into an exhibition center in Guangzhou, and why Shenzhen – a city of more than 17 million people – has imposed a citywide lockdown with public transport temporarily closed. While any outbreak of COVID-19 is bad news, there are signs during the latest outbreak that could represent a turning point regarding how China deals with the virus. What's Changing? A few developments which have emerged from the latest outbreak of the Omicron variant suggest that China is still not ready to “live with” the virus, but that it may be preparing to head in that direction. Below are a few things we noticed. 1. Hospital Admissions On March 15, it was announced that confirmed cases with mild symptoms will…Original link

1. Reduce hospital stay Mild cases of Covid-19 will no longer be sent to hospitals in China "light" cases would still be required to isolate at designated facilities where they would be monitored and sent to hospital if needed. Previously, anyone who tested positive was admitted to hospital for observation. 2. Adjust the discharge criteria It is easier for Covid-19 patients to be discharged from hospital or end their isolation period by raising the "cycle threshold", or Ct value, on PCR tests. Ct value indicates how hard it is for the test to detect the virus – the higher it is, the less virus there is in the swab sample and the less infectious the person is. Now, if a PCR test shows a Ct value of 35 or above – the number commonly used outside China – the person is considered to have tested negative and can be released from hospital or isolation. Previously in China, a negative test result was counted as a Ct value above 40. 3. Reduce centralized isolation Under the new NHC rules, cases discharged from hospital or released from isolation can now spend the following seven days at home for health monitoring instead of…Original link

China should make full preparations before relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions: Lanzhou-based epidemic prediction team Volunteers guide residents for nucleic acid testing in a residential community in Hohhot on Feb 21, 2022.Photo: IC A securer external environment is a precondition for China to gradually relax COVID-19 epidemic restrictions, but when the global pandemic has yet to be ended in a short term, the country should make full preparations before the gradual relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions, a Lanzhou-based epidemic prediction team told the Global Times. Before the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions, in the current key period, China can fortify epidemic defense lines across ports, and build epidemic monitoring mechanisms and improve medical mobilization capability, in addition to the research and development of more effective drugs and vaccines to make full preparations, the epidemic prediction team from the collaborative innovation center of western ecological safety affiliated with Lanzhou University, led by Huang Jianping, told the Global Times on Monday. The country can explore a more comprehensive scheme for the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions when the current epidemic can be controlled and the external environment is safer, Huang’s team noted. 
 According to the Global COVID-19 Prediction System developed by Huang’s team, under current…Original link

Public health observers are confident that China's "zero tolerance" COVID-19 policy will safeguard the country to withstand epidemic flare-ups, although the outbreak in East China's Fujian Province is still intense and Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province reported three fresh cases on Tuesday during the national holidays to mark the Mid-Autumn Festival. Experts said fighting the COVID-19 epidemic will be a long-term task for China, given the severe epidemic situation in the rest of the world, but the public should not overreact. The country has demonstrated its strong capability to overcome epidemic flare-ups and now is devoting efforts to further improve and optimize its "zero tolerance" COVID-19 policy by requiring epidemic regions to act faster and more precisely, and to seek a balance between epidemic prevention and economic development. Shortly after Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province reported three positive COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the city's anti-epidemic group announced measures to cut off any potential virus spread. The National Health Commission dispatched a working group to Harbin to guide the city's response efforts. Harbin authorities have urged residents to not leave the city unless very necessary, closed public venues, suspended large-scale activities and rolled out nucleic acid testing. The source of infection for…Original link

A new international health station will open in Guangzhou to help curb the spread of the COVID-19. Indoor scenes of the rooms in the stations unveiled recently. These rooms are equipped with star-rated hotel’s professional configuration and intelligent service facilities. The station is expected to be officially put into use as soon as late September. “Intelligent station” with no-contact service The process of quarantined personnel arriving at the station from customs and the airport will be unmanned. Medical detection, nursing and room service in the station will also be digitized and intelligent. At the same time, temperature measurement, disinfection, form filling, food delivery, medical waste collection and other artificial links are all achieved through information technology. The rooms of the international health station are basically in a simple design, with an area of 18 square meters, 27 square meters and 36 square meters. There is a QR code scanning area at the door of the room, and people can enter the room by scanning the QR code. Each room is equipped with a health monitoring system, with a screen that shows the specific conditions of people in isolation, including temperature data, nucleic acid test results, physical condition and so on.…Original link

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