© Reuters. Epidemic workers wearing protective suits prepare to enter a building that has been locked down as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues in Beijing, December 2, 2022. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
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SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China has begun to take steps to end its zero-covid-19 policy, which is causing relief and anxiety as people wait to see the health effects, and are concerned about the medical system, the full outbreak.
Researchers have assessed how many people the country could see as it reopens, with many pointing to the country’s low vaccination rates and lack of animal protection as some of the most vulnerable areas.
As of Friday, China reported 5,233 deaths from COVID-19 and 331,952 symptomatic cases.
Here are some comparisons:
MORE THAN 2 MILLION
Zhou Jiatong, head of the Center for Disease Control in the southwestern province of Guangxi, said last month in a paper published by the Shanghai Journal of Preventive Medicine that China faces more than 2 million deaths if it loosens the COVID measures like Hong Kong did. this year.
Infections could rise to over 233 million, it showed.
1.55 MILLION
In May, scientists in China and the United States said that China is at risk of 1.5 million deaths from COVID-19 if it abandons its strict zero-COVID policies without preventive measures such as expanding vaccination and access to treatment, according to a study published in Nature Medicine.
He predicted that the need for intensive care would be more than 15 times higher, resulting in about 1.5 million deaths, based on data collected from around the world about the severity.
However, the researchers, whose lead authors were from Fudan University in China, said that the number of deaths could be significantly reduced if there was a vaccine target.
UP TO 2.1 MILLION
China could see 1.3 million to 2.1 million people die if it raises its zero-covid-19 targets due to low vaccination rates and rising risk and lack of mixed immunity, British science and analytics company Airfinity said on Monday.
The company said it was inspired by Hong Kong’s BA.1 wave in February, which happened after the city lifted restrictions after two years.
