COVID-19 posed years of suffering to the entire world, and truly, coming out of this pandemic was a long and difficult journey. We might have successfully embraced the new normal routine, but that doesn’t imply we are completely out of the danger posed by this infectious virus. China is currently under the threat of this virus again. The new wave in the country is predicted to turn severe, with as many as 65 million new cases a week.
China Will Register 65 Million New COVID Cases Per Week
By the end of June this year, these numbers will likely be achieved. Zhong Nanshan, a respiratory disease specialist, made this alarming projection at a biotech conference in Guangzhou. Since the end of April, the Omicron variant of COVID has been posing a threat in China, causing a surge in the number of new cases. Bloomberg reported that the number of new COVID cases will reach 40 million per week by late May and peak at 65 million per week in a month.
The Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention stopped updating the weekly statistics at the beginning of May. While this step was taken to start living with the virus, it has ultimately hindered clarity about the real impact of this virus on the country.
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The Country Is Working On Designing New Vaccines
To deal with this predicted threat, China is hurriedly expanding its vaccine library with fresh shots. These vaccines are specifically designed to combat XBB. Recently, a World Health Organisation (WHO) advisory group suggested that one of the dominant XBB variants should be targeted in this year’s COVID-19 booster shots. This advisory group has also suggested dropping the original COVID-19 strain from future vaccines. Since this strain doesn’t exist in humans any more, it produces low levels of neutralising antibodies.
Pfizer/BioNtech, Moderna Inc., and Novavax Inc. are currently working on a COVID-19 vaccine for each of the currently circulating strains, including XBB.1.5. Even though it appears to be a good plan, it is unknown whether these new vaccines will be effective in stopping the spread of XBB as China prepares for this new wave of infections.
With millions of cases expected each week, the fight against COVID-19 is unquestionably far from over.
Cover Image Courtesy: Canva