“Now no new variants of the crown in China”

There are currently no new variants of the corona virus circulating in China. This was stated by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the basis of data from the Chinese authorities. Data shared by China shows infections only occur with variants of the virus that also occur in other parts of the world.

Among Chinese who contract the corona at home, the BA.5.2 and BF.7 omikron variants are dominant, the data show. Several countries are concerned about the emergence of a possible new variant of the virus in China now that so many people are being infected there at once.

The figures China publishes on the number of hospital admissions, IC admissions and corona deaths are too low, according to the WHO. In a press conference today, WHO said it wanted reliable data from China on hospitalizations and deaths “more often and faster”.

“WHO is concerned for lives in China and has reiterated the importance of vaccinations, including booster injections, to protect against serious illness, hospitalization and death,” said Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Today in Brussels, experts and officials from EU member states are discussing joint entry restrictions for travelers from China. If a majority of member states are in favor of a joint approach, the Netherlands will agree, EU sources expect.

Tedros said he understands that other countries are placing entry restrictions on travelers from China due to a lack of information from the Chinese government. Mandatory corona tests to enter a country are not a travel restriction and “not an excessive measure”, according to the WHO.

With this, the service responds to Beijing’s criticism of countries that have already introduced entry measures in recent days, including the USA, Italy and France.