China fears a new wave of Covid-19 infections due to the spread of the Xbb variant, which could cause up to 65 million infections a week by the end of June. The prediction is from the best-known Chinese pulmonologist, Zhong Nanshan, who at a conference in Guangzhou, in southeastern China, addressed the issue of the spread of subline strain of the Omicron variant, blamed for the increase in infections in China since the end of last April. Xbb could cause 40 million infections a week in China starting in late May, reaching a peak of 65 million by the end of next month.
The increase in infections “is what we expected”, commented the Chinese pulmonologist, citing the approval of two specific vaccines against the Xbb variant, plus “three or four” others that will be approved soon, he said, adding that “we can lead the world in the search for more effective vaccines”. The new wave expected for the next few weeks brings back the problem of fighting the virus in China after the end of restrictions, removed following the anti-lockdown protests that took place in many Chinese cities at the end of last November.
However, Chinese experts, such as pulmonologist Wang Guangfa, from the First Hospital of Peking University, cited by the Global Times tabloid, believe that the new wave will not overwhelm the health system. Even so, there was a jump in infections: according to data from the Chinese Center for Disease Prevention and Control (Cdc), the infection rate for Xbb, an Omicron recombinant, rose from 0.2% in mid-February to 74.4 % in late April, to reach 83.6% in early May, and the proportion of infections linked to the variant continues to grow, in the assessment of the Chinese body. The number of infections from the new wave would be at the same level, if not slightly above the numbers from last winter’s wave of infections: between last December and January, the virus spread unchecked throughout China at the end of the nearly three years zero tolerance towards the virus, and a wave of infections and deaths never officially quantified hit all of China, weighing on the health system and morgues. The big question in the coming weeks will be the effectiveness of new vaccines in combating the spread of the virus, while major international pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and Novavax are preparing to update their vaccines also based on the latest recommendations from the World Health Organization , which target precisely the Xbb variants, in particular Xbb.1.5 and Xbb.1.16.
Source: IL Tempo

John Cameron is a journalist at The Nation View specializing in world news and current events, particularly in international politics and diplomacy. With expertise in international relations, he covers a range of topics including conflicts, politics and economic trends.