China

Withdrawing Zero-COVID Policy May Put 2.1 Million People in China At Risk: Report

Beijing: Anything between 1.3 and 2.1 million people may be at risk in case China withdraws its zero-COVID policy. The fears are not unfounded and are based on the low vaccination and booster rates, along with a lack of hybrid immunity.

The London-based global health intelligence and analytics firm Airfinity, said, “Mainland China has very low levels of immunity across its population. Its citizens were vaccinated with domestically produced jabs Sinovac and Sinopharm which have been proven to have significantly lower efficacy and provide less protection against infection and death.”

The global health intelligence company had said China’s zero-COVID strategy also means the population virtually has no naturally acquired immunity through the previous infection.

“Consequently, our analysis shows if mainland China sees a similar wave to that in Hong Kong in February, its healthcare system could be pushed to capacity as there could be between 167 and 279 million cases nationwide, which could lead to between 1.3 and 2.1 million deaths,” it added.

Airfinity’s Head of Vaccines and Epidemiology Dr Louise Blair said it is vital for China to ramp up vaccinations to raise immunity in order to lift its zero-COVID policy, especially given how large its elderly population is. “Subsequently, China would need hybrid immunity to allow for the country to brace future waves with minimal impact.”

“This has proven effective in other countries and regions; for example, while Hong Kong’s efforts to vaccinate the vulnerable prior to opening likely only dampened the impact of its first wave, its protection has been enhanced by hybrid immunity from mass infection leading to much less impactful and deadly COVID-19 waves,” he added.

On Monday, Chinese health authorities announced two coronavirus deaths, both in Beijing, which is witnessing its worst outbreak since the start of the COVID pandemic.

These were the first officially reported deaths since the dramatic easing of restrictions on December 7.

OB Bureau

Recent Posts

Burglars Loot Temple Donation Box In Odisha

Berhampur: Continuing to target places of worship in different parts of Odisha, burglars struck at…

6 minutes ago

Indian American Entrepreneur Sriram Krishnan To Lead Trump’s AI Policy

New York: US President-elect Donald Trump has nominated an Indian American entrepreneur and former aide…

10 minutes ago

Parliament Scuffle: BJP MPs Pratap Sarangi & Mukesh Rajput Discharged From Hospital

New Delhi: BJP MPs Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput, who suffered head injuries in the…

13 minutes ago

3 People Including 2 Toddlers Killed After Truck Runs Over Labourers Sleeping On Pune Footpath

Pune: Three people, including two toddlers, died on Monday when a dumper truck run over…

28 minutes ago

3 Khalistani Terrorists Involved In Attack On Punjab’s Police Station Killed In Encounter In Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow: Three terrorists accused of lobbing a grenade at a police post in Punjab’s Gurdaspur…

47 minutes ago

Odisha: Malkangiri-Visakhapatnam Air Connectivity May Become A Reality In 2025

Malkangiri: If things go as per plan, flight services between Odisha’s Malkangiri town and Visakhapatnam…

1 hour ago

This website uses cookies.