New Covid variant: With a fear to be hit by yet another new wave of the coronavirus that is expected to peak in June, China is rushing to push out vaccines. The new Covid wave is expected infect as many as 65 million people a week since the new XBB variants of the virus are evolving to overcome the immunity developed after China's abrupt departure from its "zero covid" policy last year, reported The Washington Post.
Leading Chinese epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan on Monday said that two new vaccinations for the XBB omicron subvariants (including XBB. 1.9.1, XBB. 1.5, and XBB. 1.16) have been given preliminary approval, reported The Washington Post.
The new outbreak may be the greatest wave of illnesses ever recorded since China's stringent zero-Covid programme was abandoned last winter, which resulted in up to 85 per cent of the population being sick at the time. Although there was an increase in infections in the United States as a result of the new variations, the public health emergency was nevertheless proclaimed to be over on May 11 even though specialists have not ruled out the possibility of new variants causing another wave of illnesses in the years to come, according to The Washington Post.
Officials in China claim that the current wave will be less severe, but public health experts believe that to avoid another surge in mortality among the massive elderly population of the nation, a vigorous vaccination booster programme and a ready supply of antivirals in hospitals are essential.
With ANI inputs
