Beijing: Since the new XBB variants of the virus are evolving to overcome the immunity built up after China's abrupt departure from its "zero covid" policy last year, the Chinese government is rapidly distributing vaccines to combat an ongoing new wave of the coronavirus that is anticipated to peak in June that can infect 65 million people a week.
According to official media sources, Chinese epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan 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. Speaking at a biotech symposium in Guangzhou, Zhong said that three to four other vaccines will soon receive approval, but he gave no further information.
Since China's strict zero-Covid strategy was abandoned last winter, when up to 85% of the population was unwell, the latest outbreak may be the worst wave of diseases ever documented.
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 media.
Officials in China predict that the latest wave will be less severe, but public health experts think that a robust vaccination booster programme and a ready supply of antivirals in hospitals are crucial to prevent another increase in death among the large senior population of the country.
Another epidemiologist at the University of Hong Kong's School of Public Health said, "The number of infections will be less. The severe cases will certainly be less, and deaths will be less, but that could still be a large number," he said adding that "Even when we think this is a milder wave, it could still be quite a substantial health impact on the community."