Although the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country is at a low level and the number of influenza infections is decreasing, health authorities predict that the outbreak of several respiratory viruses will continue during the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday. It was announced on Sunday.
Chen Cao, a viral disease researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a press conference that the JN.1 Omicron variant has become the most dominant new coronavirus strain in the country, but that the majority of infections are mild. Stated.
He said that despite the current low prevalence of the virus, the number of coronavirus infections and positivity rates in sentinel hospitals have increased recently.
“The prevalence of new coronavirus infections is expected to increase gradually due to increased cross-regional travel and gatherings around the Chinese New Year,” he said.
Chen added that the total number of acute respiratory infections nationwide has decreased over the past three weeks, and the number of influenza cases, the main virus circulating, has also decreased.
“However, China continues to see the simultaneous spread of various respiratory diseases this month, and influenza activity is expected to decline to a relatively low level around the Spring Festival holiday,” he said.
Gao Bo, deputy director of the Transportation Services Bureau of the Ministry of Transport, said the number of interregional travelers exceeded 190 million in the first nine days of the holiday travel rush, which began on January 26.
“We are calling for strict implementation of cleaning, hygiene and ventilation at transport hubs and public transport vehicles,” he said. “We also advise travelers to wear a mask when entering stations and using public transport during their holidays.”
National Health Commission spokesperson Mi Feng said the commission called on local governments to provide 24-hour access to medical emergency hotlines during the holidays to deal with emergencies and patient transportation. He said that
Fever clinics in major hospitals and grassroots health centers should remain open during the holidays, and streamlined channels should be provided for emergency medicine, pediatrics, respiratory diseases, and other key departments.
Zhu Lan, a general internist at a regional medical center in Shanghai's Xuhui district, said the district requires regular monitoring of respiratory diseases and should pay more attention to key groups such as the elderly and pregnant women during the holidays. He said he needed to pay.
He said local health facilities have at least a month's supply of common medicines such as fever reducers and painkillers.
