China relaxes corona measures – Intense wave of infection expected Plane lands in Barcelona due to “emergency” – 28 passenger flights

After strict zero-Covid measures were relaxed in China, experts expect a huge wave of infections. According to an adviser to the Chinese government, the vast majority of the 1.4 billion Chinese will eventually become infected with the corona virus. The former deputy director of the national health service, Feng Zijian, assumes that eventually 80 to 90 percent of the population will become infected with the virus, state media reported Thursday.

In the first wave, the infection rate should be around 60 percent according to model calculations. According to the newspaper “Zhongguo Qingnianbao”, “appropriate measures” should be taken to keep the peak of this wave down and reduce the pressure on the health system.

Other experts also warned of a rapid increase in infections. A European health expert in Beijing expects a “race between the virus and vaccines – with a somewhat unknown outcome in terms of death toll”. The peak of the wave will put “huge pressure” on the medical system, warned Feng Zijian, who advises the government’s working group on how to handle the pandemic. Therefore, preparations must be made.

It is important to speed up vaccinations – especially for older people with chronic diseases. Current vaccines are very effective in reducing the risk of serious illness, the government adviser said. Those who have not yet been fully vaccinated should do so as soon as possible. Experts also pointed out that for many Chinese it has been a long time since their last vaccination or booster, which could be a problem.

But flattening the infection curve will also prolong the pandemic, which is likely to further strain the economy and people’s lives, Feng Zijian said. Every city has to make “compromises” depending on the situation. The expert was one of eight experts advised by Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chunlan last week before speaking of a “new phase” in the fight against the virus, which is now “less pathogenic”.

After a wave of protests at the end of November against the draconian zero-Covid measures, the government turned around on Wednesday and announced far-reaching relaxations of lockdowns, quarantine rules, mandatory testing and travel in China. In principle, it should be possible for infected people without symptoms or with a mild course of illness to go into isolation at home. Even contacts are no longer threatened with the quarantine camp as before. They must also be able to isolate themselves at home.

The obligation to perform frequent PCR tests and the constant checking of the Corona app before scanning have also been relaxed. Traveling within China no longer requires a negative test or proof of health program safety. Lockdowns should only be specifically imposed on individual buildings, floors or households – and no longer “arbitrarily” extended to entire neighborhoods or streets, as the government has announced.

Instead of trying to bring the number of infections to zero with rigorous measures, China will probably try to live with the virus like the rest of the world with these relaxations. The zero-Covid strategy had led to widespread public discontent and enormous pressure on the second-largest economy, while strict measures against the new, easily transmissible omicron variants of the virus became increasingly ineffective.

However, international health experts have repeatedly expressed incomprehension that modern foreign mRNA vaccines are still not approved in China. It also warned that, unlike in many countries, natural immunity is not yet in place in billions of people, as there have been relatively few infections in China so far. About 21,000 new infections were officially reported on Tuesday, most of them asymptomatic, according to the Health Commission. At the end of November, there had been a high of 40,000 new cases per day since the start of the pandemic. (sda/dpa)