Wuhan virus 2020

[Jimbuna]

UK should test all China arrivals for Covid, ministers urged amid 'no plans' for restrictions

Ministers were coming under pressure on Thursday to introduce Covid checks on travellers from China after saying the UK had “no plans” to impose restrictions.

Lord Bethell, a former health minister who was in post during the Covid pandemic, said the Government should follow Italy in introducing post-arrival screening tests on travellers from China to check for potential new variants and identify who had the virus.

“What the Italians are doing is post-flight surveillance on arrivals in Italy in order to understand whether there are any emerging variants and to understand the impact of the virus on the Italian health system. That’s a sensible thing to do and something the UK Government should be seriously looking at,” he told BBC Radio Four.

It follows statements from UK Government officials on Wednesday that there were “no plans to re-introduce COVID-19 testing or additional requirements for arrivals into the UK" following China’s announcement on Monday that it was lifting its travel restrictions despite a surge in Covid cases across the country.

The United States announced on Wednesday that all travellers from China must test negative for Covid before entering the country. The move will come into effect from January 5 for all air passengers over two years old who will, from then on, require a negative result from a test no more than two days before departure from China, Hong Kong or Macao.

India has adopted the same stance as the US by insisting on pre-arrival tests for travellers from China, while Japan, Taiwan and Italy are requiring testing of inbound passengers from China on arrival.

The European Commission said its health security committee would convene on Thursday to discuss "possible measures for a coordinated EU approach" to China's Covid surge.

Officials from the Department for Transport, Home Office and Department for Health and Social Care are expected to assess on Thursday whether the UK should review its current stance with six non-stop flights from China with 1,795 seats, due to arrive in the next seven days. There are 26 direct flights due in January.

Lord Bethell said mandatory post-arrival tests would allow the UK to conduct the necessary genomic checks to “understand whether there are any new variants and whether this virus is going to break to become more dangerous, particularly to the vaccinated population.”

“A lot of these people who get on these flights are people who are poorly themselves and are coming to the West for medical help. That’s quite a daunting prospect for our health system. It is important we know which of them have the virus and what virus they have got,” he said.

Paul Charles, chief executive of the travel consultancy The PC Agency, said it was “inevitable” the UK Government would take action after facing criticism for its slow response to the spread of Covid from China on flights at the start of the pandemic.

“Governments have learned lessons from the initial wave of Covid. One of those lessons is that they work more closely on such restrictions. You cannot have Italy and the US doing one thing and others not doing the same,” said Mr Charles.

Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, was particularly critical of the UK’s failure to act over the initial Covid outbreaks when international travel was allowed to continue into the UK and was on Thursday night consulting advisers on whether to demand restrictions.

Virologists are watching nervously how China’s decision to drop quarantine for overseas visitors from 8 January and from the same date resume issuing visas to foreigners and passports to its own people may affect the global spread of the disease.

The end of China’s zero-Covid approach comes amid surging case numbers, with low vaccination rates especially among elderly people.

"The recent rapid increase in Covid transmission in China increases the potential for new variants emerging," a senior US health official told reporters in a phone briefing.

"We have just limited information in terms of what's being shared related to the number of cases that are increasing, hospitalisations and especially deaths. Also, there's been a decrease in testing across China so it also makes it difficult to know what the true infection rate is," the health official said.

Beijing only announced on Monday its decision to end quarantine for arrivals - effectively reopening travel in and out of the country for the first time since March 2020. Until this week, anyone entering China had to undergo quarantine in state facilities.

Before the pandemic, China had been the world's largest outbound tourism market. But it is unclear how many Chinese people will travel abroad after 8 January given that the number of flights are limited, and many citizens need to renew their passports.

Italy’s decision to impose testing for all China arrivals comes almost three years after it became the first western country to be hit by the pandemic, which to date has claimed more than 180,000 lives in the country.

“The measure is essential to guarantee the surveillance and identification of any variants of the virus in order to protect the Italian population,” said Orazio Schillaci, the Italian health minister.

Italy has already been monitoring swab tests at Rome’s Fiumicino airport and Milan’s Malpensa airport, where on Monday one in two passengers arriving on flights from China who undertook non-mandatory tests were found to be positive for coronavirus.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/oth...eb35c5fa277049

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

Covid: England to require negative test for arrivals from China

Passengers arriving in England from China will have to provide a negative Covid test before they board a flight, ministers have confirmed.

It comes as several nations announced they would be screening travellers from China after cases surged following Beijing's decision to relax its zero-Covid policy.

China has said it will fully reopen its borders on 8 January.

Several countries, including the US, France and India, have imposed testing.

The Department of Health and Social Care said people travelling from China on direct flights from 5 January will be asked to take a pre-departure Covid test.

From 8 January, the UK Health Security Agency will also launch surveillance, which will see a sample of passengers arriving from China tested for the virus as they arrive.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said the government was taking a "balanced and precautionary approach", adding the measures were "temporary" as officials assess the latest Covid data.

The testing requirement only applies to people flying to English airports, with the government saying that while there are no direct flights from China to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, it is working with the devolved administrations to ensure the policy is applied UK-wide.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on Beijing to share "real-time" information on Covid - including on deaths, hospitalisations and vaccinations.

The UN body said it was willing to offer support on data-sharing, adding that it was "understandable" that some countries were now imposing fresh restrictions.

China's foreign ministry said earlier this week that its "epidemic situation" overall was "predictable and under control".

The Chinese government is reporting about 5,000 cases a day, but analysts say such numbers are vastly undercounted - and the daily caseload may be closer to one million.

The true toll of daily cases and deaths in China is unknown as officials have stopped requiring cases to be reported, and changed classifications for Covid deaths.

The UK government said its decision was due to a "lack of comprehensive health information shared by China".

Spain, Israel and South Korea also announced on Friday that they will introduce testing requirements in response to the increasing number of infections in China.

Some scientists have questioned the approach of the UK and US - saying it is better to screen people once they have arrived. Italy and Spain have introduced post-arrival testing.

But not all countries have announced additional controls. Germany has joined Australia and Portugal in saying there will be no new rules yet.

Prof Andrew Pollard, chairman of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said the restrictions are unlikely to prevent new Covid variants reaching the UK and it was difficult to know what impact such a move would have here.

He told BBC News: "Trying to ban a virus by adjusting what we do with travel has already been shown not to work very well.

"We've seen that with the bans on travel from various countries during the pandemic, that hasn't stopped those viruses travelling around the world eventually."

But there is concern that more infections can provide more opportunities for the virus to mutate.

Countries that plan to test travellers say the policy will help spot worrying new variants early and prevent an influx of cases.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said testing visitors from China, Hong Kong and Macau was needed "to help slow the spread of the virus as we work to identify... any potential new variants that may emerge".

The government had also come under pressure from Conservative MPs who want a more robust response.

The new requirement for travellers from China to provide negative tests was welcomed by Tory MP Steve Brine, chairman of the Commons health and social care committee.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the move would reduce the number of passengers with infections, and help to identify new variants of the disease.

But he said the policy was not about trying to "ban a virus" - adding that ministers were not trying to repeat the "Beijing folly of an unattainable zero-Covid policy".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64130655

[Jimbuna]

Covid in China: Officials must share data on its impact, says WHO

Chinese officials must share more real-time information on Covid in the country as infections surge, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.

Many of the country's strict restrictions have been lifted over the last few weeks, but cases have soared and several countries are now screening travellers from China.

WHO officials say they want to see more data on hospitalisations, intensive care unit admissions and deaths.

It also wants figures on vaccinations.

The United States, Spain, France, South Korea, India, Italy, Japan and Taiwan have all imposed Covid tests for travellers from China, as they fear a renewed spread of the virus.

And passengers arriving in England from China will have to provide a negative test before they board a flight.

In a statement issued after talks with Chinese officials the UN health agency said: "WHO again asked for regular sharing of specific and real-time data on the epidemiological situation... and data on vaccinations delivered and vaccination status, especially in vulnerable people and those over 60."

The agency said it was willing to provide support on these areas, as well as help with addressing the issue of vaccine hesitancy.

It also stressed "the importance of monitoring, and the timely publication of data, to help China and the global community to formulate accurate risk assessments and to inform effective responses".

WHO's technical advisory group on the evolution of Covid-19 is set to hold a meeting on Tuesday. The agency says it has invited Chinese scientists to present detailed data on viral sequencing.

It says it is "understandable" that some countries are imposing fresh restrictions on people travelling from China.

The sudden lifting of many of China's restrictions follows November's protests against the government's management of the disease.

Until then, China had one of the toughest anti-Covid regimes in the world - known as a zero-Covid policy.

It included strict lockdowns even if only a handful of cases had been found, mass testing in places where cases were reported, and people with Covid having to isolate at home or under quarantine at government facilities.

Lockdowns have now been scrapped, and quarantine rules have been abolished. People are now free to travel abroad again.

Cases have since been on the rise, with the Chinese government reporting about 5,000 a day. But analysts say such numbers are vastly undercounted - and the daily caseload may be closer to one million.

Officially there have only been 13 Covid deaths throughout December, but UK-based health data firm Airfinity said on Thursday that around 9,000 people in China are probably dying each day from the disease.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-64131713

[Aktungbby]

Clearly China is utilizing deceit, subterfuge and denial(of accurate mortality statistics) to mask reinfecting the planet, again, of 'lesser beings' subservient to Sino-global hegemony. The WSJ has termed it "revenge tourism"; as prior to the 2019 pandemic, Chinese tourists were the largest revenue source for the global tourism industry. At this time in history, the tourism industry needs to be on Covid hiatus until the threat is eradicated.The domestic political unrest of Chinese peasants protesting strict zero-Covid restrictions against Xi's regime should not be foisted on the West by a lessening of travel restrictions to appease the 1.4 billion Sino-multitudes. If China will not enforce it's own zero tolerance policy, the rest of the still devastated recovering planet needs to enact it's own zero-tolerance policy; if only to prevent being stupid twice....

[Jimbuna]

Xi calls for unity as China enters 'new phase' of COVID policy

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Saturday for more effort and unity as the country enters a "new phase" in its approach to combating the pandemic, in his first comments addressed to the public on COVID-19 since his government changed course three weeks ago and relaxed its rigorous policy of lockdowns and mass testing.

In a televised speech to mark the New Year, Xi said China had overcome unprecedented difficulties and challenges in the battle against COVID-19, and that its policies were "optimised" when the situation and time so required.

"Since the outbreak of the epidemic ... the majority of cadres and masses, especially medical personnel, grassroots workers braved hardships and courageously persevered," Xi said.

"At present, the epidemic prevention and control is entering a new phase, it is still a time of struggle, everyone is persevering and working hard, and the dawn is ahead. Let's work harder, persistence means victory, and unity means victory."

Beijing earlier this month scrapped its signature zero-COVID approach based on mass testing, centralised quarantine and lockdowns - which it had maintained for almost three years.

The policy switch has led to a wave of infections across the country, a further drop in economic activity and international concern, with Britain and France becoming the latest countries to impose curbs on travellers from China.

China's decision to abandon the zero-COVID policy aligned it with a world that has largely reopened to live with the virus.

The step followed unprecedented public protests over the policy championed by Xi, marking the strongest show of public defiance in his decade-old presidency and coinciding with grim growth figures for China's $17 trillion economy.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...61b919cf4e0195

[Rockstar]

Sure has gotten quiet, where did all the usual suspects go?

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

[Jimbuna]

What is XBB Covid? The new Omicron variant that has led to surge in cases

New Covid variants are sparking fresh health concerns as Omicron relatives XBB and XBB.1.5 have seen a surge in cases in countries worldwide.

It comes as UK-based health experts have suggested that up to 9,000 people are dying from Covid a day in China, where infections have dramatically risen following the country’s end to strict isolation rules.

The surge has prompted the UK government to require all passengers arriving in England from China from 5 January to return a negative Covid result before travelling.

So what are the XBB subvariants and where have they been seen? Here is all you need to know:

XBB is a subvariant of the Omicron BA.2 variant, and XBB.1.5 is a subvariant of XBB.

It emerged as a “recombinant lineage between the second generation Omicron variants”, Professor Kei Sato wrote in a study by University of Tokyo, Hokkaido University and Kyoto University, posted to preprint server bioRxiv.

The Japanese researchers studied XBB’s characteristics in hamsters including transmissibility and immune resistance.

Their results suggested that the subvariant is highly transmissible and has developed resistance to immunity.

In October 2022, the World Health Organisation (WHO) also said there was early evidence to suggest that XBB has a higher reinfection risk, compared to other circulating Omicron subvariants.

However, in a fact-checking article conducted by Reuters in November, its team concluded that there was no evidence that XBB “is more deadly or causes more severe COVID-19 than the Delta variant”.

Where have cases of XBB been reported?

The Omicron subvariants have taken the US by storm as together they accounted for 44.1per cent of the total cases in the country for the week ending December 31.

Though the subvariants are currently dominant in the Northeast, they account for fewer than 10 per cent of infections in many other parts of the country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday (CDC).

XBB.1.5 has been detected in at least 74 countries and 43 US states, according to outbreak.info which uses data from the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID).

These countries include the UK, China, India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Australia.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/h...tm_medium=Feed

[Jimbuna]

Wearing a mask if ill is sensible advice - minister

Asking adults to wear a mask if they have a respiratory infection and need to go out is sensible, ministers say.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said he fully supported the guidance, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

The advice, in place for months in England, was reiterated by the UKHSA as schools and workplaces return after the Christmas break.

It comes amid mounting pressure on the NHS, partly driven by high rates of Covid and flu.

Mr Harper said he recognised staff were under "tremendous pressure" and the government had offered more resources to the NHS and social care to help services cope.

This includes a £500m winter fund targeted at helping hospitals discharge patients who are medically fit to leave but cannot because of a lack of support available in the community.

"I hope these resources are going to help in the coming months to relieve some of the pressure on our hard-worked health and care staff," Mr Harper said.

It was "sensible" to ask ill adults to wear masks if needed to go out, he said, but best to stay home if possible.

The UKHSA has also asked parents to keep children off school if they have a fever.

There have been sharp rises in the numbers of people in hospital with Covid and flu in recent weeks - about one in eight beds in England is now occupied by patients with these infections.

Senior doctors have described the NHS as on a knife edge, with some accident and emergency units in a "complete state of crisis".

In recent days, a number of hospitals have declared critical incidents, suggesting they cannot function as usual because of extraordinary pressure.

'I had to sleep in my car while waiting for an emergency op'

Having gone to A&E with stomach pain, Michael Woodcock, from Harrogate, was told he needed an emergency operation because his appendix was at risk of bursting.

It was late at night and he was booked in for surgery the following day - but with no beds available, asked nurses whether he could sleep in his car rather than a waiting-room chair.

"I ended up getting some blankets from the nurses and sleeping in the car for a few hours and then heading back into the hospital in the morning for the operation," Mr Woodcock said.

Labour criticised the government's management of the health service, while the Liberal Democrats called for Parliament to be recalled early.

MPs are due back at Westminster next Monday, following their Christmas break.

Prof Phil Banfield, who chairs the British Medical Association, which represents doctors, called on the government to "step up and take immediate action".

The situation was "intolerable and unsustainable", he said, with the NHS's survival on a knife edge and patients needlessly dying because of a political choice.

Richard Webber, of the College of Paramedics, said the current situation was the worst in his 30-year career.

Delays were causing patients "significant harm", he said, with ambulance services now struggling to find available crews for cardiac arrests - the highest category of emergency call.

"I've never known anything like it," Mr Webber said.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-64151557

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

[Rockstar]

It affects the elderly and people with comorbidities. So, it's like the flu? The other comorbidity problem China may have that could increase the number of deaths is it has some of the worst persistent air pollution in the world. Those people lungs probably can't handle the additional stress.

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

[August]

Originally Posted by Rockstar

It affects the elderly and people with comorbidities. So, it's like the flu? The other comorbidity problem China may have that could increase the number of deaths is it has some of the worst persistent air pollution in the world. Those people lungs probably can't handle the additional stress.

Oh man don't compare it to the flu! The forums fake doctors and medical experts get all in a tizzy when you say that.

[Jimbuna]

China Covid: WHO warns about under-representing Covid deaths

By Kathryn Armstrong
BBC News

The World Health Organization has warned that China is under-representing the true impact of Covid in the country - in particular deaths.

The removal of most restrictions last month has led to a surge in cases.

But China has stopped publishing daily cases data, and has announced only 22 Covid deaths since December, using its oown strict criteria.

"We believe that definition [of a Covid death] is too narrow," WHO emergencies director Dr Michael Ryan said.

Dr Ryan said China's figures "under-represent the true impact of the disease in terms of hospital admissions, in terms of ICU admissions, and particularly in terms of deaths".

He added that China had increased its engagement with the WHO in recent weeks, and said he looked forward to receiving "more comprehensive data."

But he also suggested individual health workers could report their own data and experiences.

"We do not discourage doctors and nurses reporting these deaths and these cases," Dr Ryan said. "We have an open approach to be able to record the actual impact of disease in society."

The UK science data company Airfinity estimates more than two million Covid cases a day in China, and 14,700 deaths.

Since China abandoned key parts of its "zero-Covid" strategy almost a month ago, there have been reports of hospitals and crematoriums being overwhelmed.

More than a dozen nations have introduced travel restrictions on travellers from China. Beijing has criticised these as politically motivated and threatened to retaliate.

No new Covid variants have been detected in China, despite the surge in cases. However, the WHO has warned this could be due to a decrease in testing.

The Chinese authorities have announced they are sending medical supplies to rural hospitals before an expected wave of coronavirus infections in the countryside - where vaccination rates are patchy.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-64167052