Explosion of Covid-19 cases in China could create "potential breeding ground" for new variants: experts

Photo : AP

New York: Health experts have warned that the recent spurt in Covid-19 cases in China could create a “potential breeding ground” for new variants to turn up.

In a complete reversal of their zero-covid policy following protests by citizens, the Chinese government has announced that incoming travellers would no longer have to quarantine from January 8.

While the country’s National Health Commission has stopped issuing daily case numbers, officials in several cities estimate that hundreds of thousands of people have been infected in recent weeks, putting a strain on the healthcare system and resources.

It is likely that the virus will now be able to circulate among nearly one-fifth of the world’s population — almost all of whom lack immunity from the previous infection and many of whom remain unvaccinated. Other nations and experts fear China will become fertile ground for new variants.

“The fact that 1.4 billion people are suddenly exposed to SARS-CoV-2 obviously creates conditions prone to emerging variants,” Flahault said, referring to the virus that causes the Covid-19 disease.

Bruno Lina, a virology professor at France’s Lyon University, told the La Croix newspaper this week that China could become a “potential breeding ground for the virus”.

In response to the surging cases, the United States, Italy, Japan, India and Malaysia announced this week they would increase health measures for travellers from China.

The lack of transparent data from China — particularly about viral genomic sequencing — is making it “increasingly difficult for public health officials to ensure that they will be able to identify any potential new variants and take prompt measures to reduce the spread”, US officials said according to an AFP report.

Flahault said “a soup” of more than 500 new Omicron subvariants had been identified in recent months, although it had often been difficult to tell where each had first emerged.

Notably, China has released “distorted” reports about its handling of Covid after easing restrictions. A foreign ministry spokesperson in a media address said that since the pandemic began, the Chinese government has put the people and their lives first.

“It has mobilized all resources and made every effort to protect people’s life and health, managing to contain rounds of outbreaks and tiding over the most difficult period where the virus runs rampant,” he was quoted as saying by Chinese state media.

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