India COVID: Experts say people don’t need to panic over China coronavirus surge
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Experts claim that the current COVID outbreak in China is “unlikely” to affect India, they still advise people to exercise caution and wear masks.
After a rise in cases in China’s neighbours, India increased surveillance.
Presenting a COVID-19 negative test report is now required for entry into India for travellers from China and four other Asian nations.
To see if hospitals could handle a surge, drills were conducted on Tuesday.
Only about 3,400 coronavirus cases are now active in India, according to government statistics. However, news of the rise in China and the two deadly COVID waves that hit India in 2020 and 2021 had many people on edge.
However, experts say there is no immediate cause for concern.
“The rise in infections in China is to be expected.” Cases will increase if you have a susceptible population that hasn’t been exposed to the virus. “For the rest of the globe, including India, nothing has changed,” says epidemiologist and expert in health systems Dr. Chandrakant Lahariya.
China has been dealing with an increase in COVID cases since it began to abandon its so-called “zero-COVID” strategy, which called for severe lockdowns, quarantining, and closed borders. As the case surge puts pressure on the nation’s healthcare facilities, efforts are currently being made to increase vaccines for its vulnerable senior population.
Some scientists have expressed scepticism about the ability of Sinovac and Sinopharm, the two major vaccines used in China, to confer long-lasting immunity as a result of the increase.
“Due to the Omicron subvariant BF.7’s extreme infectiousness and ability to bypass all prior immunity, people are becoming infected.” “Diseases that attack the elderly and populations with compromised immune systems are more common if you lack immunity,” declares Dr. Jacob John, a virologist.
Four COVID-19 cases caused by BF.7 have been recorded in India in the recent months; according to health experts, all four patients have made a full recovery.