The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has strengthened surveillance in the face of rising Covid-19 cases in China and is considering reviewing the risk and adjusting measures, if necessary.
ECDC indicates on its official website that, together with the Member States of the European Union and the European Commission, it has increased its monitoring activities after the number of Covid-19 cases reached a record level in mainland China, with a peak on December 2, 2022.
The Center also mentions that it is working closely with the World Health Organization (WHO)/Europe and WHO/Headquarters, noting that it is in regular contact with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC). and with the main CDC worldwide. .
The organization also highlights that it will continue to periodically monitor and communicate emerging threats from SARS-CoV-2 variants through its “Strategic Analysis of Variants in Europe” (SAVE) working group, where variants and trends will continue to be evaluated and epidemiological findings in China’s neighboring countries as well as in the EU/EEA.
The number of Covid-19 cases reached a record level in mainland China, peaking on December 2, 2022, and in the last three weeks the incidence has decreased, probably also due to fewer tests carried out, resulting in fewer infections are being detected, according to the ECDC.
According to the Center, reliable data on Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations, deaths and occupancy in intensive care units in China is still lacking.
“In the coming weeks, high levels of SARS-CoV-2 infections and increased pressure on health services in China are expected, due to low population immunity and the relaxation of non-pharmaceutical interventions,” says the organization. .
ECDC says that the variants circulating in China are already circulating in the EU and as such are not a challenge to the immune response of EU/EEA citizens.
In a note published on December 29 last year, the Center had considered the mandatory screening of Covid-19 in the European Union for travelers from China unjustified.
For the ECDC, “potential infections” that could be imported are “quite small” compared to the number of cases that circulate daily, and health systems “are now capable of managing” the disease.
The European Union refrained on December 29 from following a decision by several countries to require Covid-19 tests for travelers from China arriving at its airports, but vowed to remain vigilant and ready to act together.
After strict travel restrictions at the height of the pandemic, the European Union this fall returned to a pre-pandemic system of free travel, but member countries agreed that an “emergency brake” could be activated if necessary. in a short period of time. It’s time to face an unexpected challenge.
Covid-19 is an infectious respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, detected three years ago in China and which has spread rapidly throughout the world, having assumed various variants and subvariants, some more contagious than others.
The disease is an international public health emergency since January 30, 2020 and a pandemic since March 11, 2020.
Source: TSF
