After Chinese President Xi Jinping decided in mid December to abolish the strict zero-Covid policy, infections have spiked in the country. According to official records, 13,000 Covid deaths were reported last week. More than 63,000 people were hospitalised in the previous week, a record high since the beginning of the pandemic.
In the midst of this infection wave, hundreds of millions of people are travelling across the country to visit their relatives and celebrate Lunar New Year. The more the virus keeps circulating and replicating, the higher the chance that further mutations will occur.
Infectious disease expert Dr Schockmel does not see a risk for Luxembourg. Most variants currently circulating in China are of the Omicron type, which is known to be less severe.
He explained: “Most people here in the country have a hybrid immunity. They have been vaccinated, contracted the virus, and contracted Omicron. That is why I am not overly concerned at the moment.”
Dr Schockmel explained that even though there is always a risk of more contagious and more severe coronavirus variants evolving, people should not be worried: “Even then, existing immunity prevents us from getting into a situation comparable to that three years ago. For instance, a lockdown is something that seems highly unlikely in my view.”
When asked whether the pandemic has come to an end, Dr Schockmel argued that this depends on the definitions of the words “pandemic” and “endemic”. He referred to AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, which are all considered endemic while still being responsible for the deaths of millions.
Dr Schockmel noted: “Endemic is not an all-clear signal. It is something that still has to be monitored.”
