China Predicted to Experience COVID-19 Peak in 2023 with 65 Million Cases per Week

Jakarta –

China recently came under the spotlight after experts predicted that the peak of the new COVID-19 wave in the country would occur at the end of June 2023. In fact, it is estimated that the number of cases could reach 65 million cases per week.

The predictions of respiratory disease specialist Zhong Nanshan Zhong provide a picture of how big the effect of the latest COVID-19 Omicron subvariant, XBB, is. This variant is suspected to have triggered an increase in cases throughout China since the end of April.

The New Wave will be Worse

Zhong estimates that the new wave that appears will be more severe than the previous wave that hit China late last year to January.

Because, since switching to a ‘living with the virus’ policy in early December, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention stopped updating weekly infections. Even that sudden easing of protocols led to 37 million new infections a day a few weeks later.

In January, experts believed that nearly 80 percent of China’s 1.4 billion people had been infected in the first wave.

In the second wave since April, data produced by Zhon showed that the XBB variant was expected to cause 40 million infections each week in May, rising to 65 million in June.

The data contradicted Chinese health officials’ estimates that the surge had peaked in April. In Beijing alone, the number of new infections recorded between May 15 and 21 quadrupled in four weeks.

Preparing Special Vaccines

Because of this incident, China is trying to strengthen its vaccine arsenal with a new immunization that specifically targets the XBB variant. China’s drug regulator has already given preliminary approval for two such vaccines, with another three or four expected to be approved soon.

“We can take the lead internationally in developing a more effective vaccine,” said Zhong.

Meanwhile, Deakin University Australia epidemiologist Catherine Bennett said that the new wave that would emerge could later test the effectiveness of China’s vaccines and boosters.

He also added that the vaccines given to the public must always be updated. Especially in people who are vulnerable to COVID-19 infection and the elderly.

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(avk/juice)