Medical staff inject COVID-19 vaccine to people in Chongqing, China. (Photo: AFP/VNA)
On May 8, Chinese experts said that Omicron's XBB sub-variants are the dominant variants causing COVID-19 in the country and there are currently no major changes in the pathogenicity of these variants.
Researcher Chen Cao at the Institute of Viral Disease Control and Prevention of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said the infection rate of the XBB sub-variant in China increased from 0.2% in mid-February to 74.4% by the end of April.
Among imported cases, up to 97.5% of cases recorded by the end of April were infected with the XBB sub-variant, similar to the current global epidemic trend.
China has set up COVID-19 monitoring and warning systems in hospitals and key locations, clinics, and urban wastewater treatment facilities, and advised people to maintain good hygiene habits and respond cautiously to the epidemic situation, said expert Chen Cao.
A top Chinese health official warned that although the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an end to the global emergency over the COVID-19 epidemic, the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the disease remains harmful and China will continue to monitor and step up vaccinations for high-risk groups.
According to the British news agency Reuters, in an interview on May 6 on national television CCTV, Mr. Liang Wannian, head of the expert panel on COVID-19 response under the National Health Commission of China, stated that ending the state of emergency does not mean the epidemic will disappear, but that its impact has been effectively controlled.
China will continue to monitor virus mutations, step up vaccinations for high-risk groups, and seek to improve its ability to treat COVID-19, he said.
Previously, on April 12, China issued new guidelines related to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to which wearing masks will no longer be mandatory for people using public transport.
The Joint Mechanism for COVID-19 Prevention and Control guidelines specify cases and situations where people should wear masks or can choose to wear/not wear masks.
Under the guidelines, people are advised to wear masks on public transport, in supermarkets, theatres, cinemas and other crowded enclosed spaces.
Individuals have the freedom to choose whether or not to wear a mask in outdoor areas such as squares and parks. Students are not required to wear masks in the classroom.
However, in certain circumstances, wearing a mask is mandatory. These include: people who have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 or are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, during a local outbreak, or when visiting healthcare facilities and nursing homes.
WHO first raised its highest alert level for COVID-19 on January 30, 2020.
This warning level has been maintained by the WHO's global health expert panel at meetings held every three months since then.
In March 2020, WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic as the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the disease spread rapidly worldwide.
According to WHO data, the death rate from COVID-19 has decreased from a record of more than 100,000 people/week in January 2021 to more than 3,500 people/week in the week of April 14-21./.
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