'VIGIL needed, but no need to PANIC': Govt panel on new Covid-19 outbreak in China

China Covid-19 Outbreak: According to new projections from the US-based Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), China's abrupt lifting of its stringent Covid-19 curbs could result in an explosion of cases and over 10 lakh deaths next year.

NEW DELHI: Amid growing concerns over the latest Covid-19 outbreak in China, a government panel on Tuesday assured that there was ''no need to panic'' though a strict vigil is needed on the current Covid-19 situation in the neighbouring country. NK Arora, chairman of Covid working group NTAGI, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI that the Covid situation is fully under control in the country as Indians have been "extensively immunized with effective vaccines".

"We are hearing that there is a widespread covid infection in China. As far as India is concerned, India is extensively immunized with effective vaccines, especially the adult population," NK Arora told ANI. 

Delhi | We're hearing that there's widespread covid infection in China. As far as India is concerned, India is extensively immunized with effective vaccines, especially the adult population: NK Arora, Chairman, Covid 19 Working Group NTAGI, on China covid policies pic.twitter.com/poDxFNvZYz

— ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2022

Stating another reason for the low case burden in India, Arora said that not many sub-variants of Omicron were circulating in the country. "INSACOG data shows that almost all sub-variants of Omicron are found everywhere in the world. There are not many sub-variants that aren't circulating here. Important to keep a close vigil on the Chinese situation but no need to panic as the situation is in control," he added.

INSACOG data shows that almost all sub-variants of Omicron found everywhere in the world are found in India;there're not many sub-variants which aren't circulating here. Important to keep close vigil on Chinese situation but no need to panic as situation is in control: NK Arora pic.twitter.com/0UYcKoWEPJ

— ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2022

The assurance from the government panel chief came after China reported its first Covid-19-related deaths in weeks amid rising doubts over whether the official count was capturing the full toll of the virus. 

The country of 1.4 billion population reported five new fatalities on December 19, compared with two the previous day, increasing the nation's official death count to 5,242. The new fatalities were the first to be reported by the National Health Commission (NHC) since December 3, days before Beijing announced that it was lifting strict Covid-19 curbs which had largely kept the disease in check for three years but triggered widespread protests last month. 

China also reported 2,722 new symptomatic coronavirus infections on December 19, compared with 1,995 a day earlier. Excluding imported infections, China reported 2,656 new local cases, up from 1,918 a day earlier. As of Monday, mainland China has confirmed 3,83,175 Covid-19 cases with symptoms. However, Covid-19 cases and related deaths are expected to increase in the coming months as the virus continues to rip through cities after Xi Jinping's government relaxed strict anti-virus controls.

China's chief epidemiologist Wu Zunyou last week said that the country was in the throes of the first of three Covid-19 waves expected this winter. Beijing city official Xu Hejian also warned on Monday that the virus was spreading fast in the capital. 

China's Covid-19 toll a cause of concern: US

Meanwhile, the United States also expressed its concern over the possibility of a new mutation of the Covid-19 virus as numbers continue to regularly increase in the world`s most populous nation China, even though many countries have arrested the spread of the pandemic.

While addressing the media, US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said, "First and foremost, any time there is death and illness anywhere around the world, we want to see a situation like that come to an end. When it comes to COVID, secondly, we know that any time the virus is spreading, that it is in the wild, that it has the potential to mutate and to pose a threat to people everywhere."

"We`ve seen that over the course of many different permutations of this virus and certainly another reason why we are so focused on helping countries around the world address COVID, another reason why bringing this to a close in China would be beneficial," Price added.

Talking about the Covid-19 toll, Price said he is concerned that "not only does China need to be in a good position" but other countries as well. He said, "the US is concerned that China might not be fully transparent about the COVID numbers, the cases, and also the deaths that we`re seeing in China right now".

According to new projections from the US-based Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), China's abrupt lifting of its stringent Covid-19 curbs could result in an explosion of cases and over 10 lakh deaths next year. As per the group's projections, coronavirus cases in China would peak around April 1, 2023, when deaths would reach 3,22,000. About a third of China's population will have been infected by then, IHME Director Christopher Murray said.

(With Agency Inputs)