A leading authority on traditional Chinese medicine has said that the novel coronavirus, or SARS-CoV-2, has mutated, and China should change its official name for Covid-19 to reflect the mutation, news agency Reuters reported.
Gu Xiaohong, who heads the China Association of Chinese Medicine's Infectious disease arm, told the Beijing Daily newspaper that the Chinese name of novel coronavirus, which identifies Covid-19 as a pneumonia-causing disease, should be changed to call it simply an infectious virus, a Reuters report stated.
China has emphasised widespread testing and the quarantining of positive cases in specialised facilities. Xiaohong said China's approach to Covid-19 should change from "passive detection" to "active prevention". She added that when one is suffering from light illness, they should undergo recuperation at home.
According to the report, officials have started to make light of the dangers posed by SARS-CoV-2. The official Xinhua news agency said in a commentary Monday that the "most difficult period had passed". It said the pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 has weakened, and efforts have been made to vaccinate 90 per cent of China's population against Covid-19.
China unveils new measures to ease tough Covid-19 curbs
On Wednesday, December 7, China unveiled new measures to ease some of the world's toughest Covid-19 curbs. This comes after three years of a "zero-COVID" policy in the country. This policy has triggered widespread protests and affected the economy.
According to a Reuters report, China is not abandoning the "zero-COVID" policy, but is making adjustments such as allowing people with mild or no symptoms to quarantine themselves at home. China is also dropping testing for people travelling within the country.
Authorities have made varying policy changes in cities such as Guangzhou and Beijing, over the past few weeks. Earlier, officials told local governments not to use a "one-size-fits-all" approach.
Due to the "zero-COVID" policy, there has been worker unrest at iPhone maker Foxconn in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou, and also riots in southern Guangzhou, the report said.
Moreover, the tough curbs have disrupted global supply chains and factory output.
China recently said it would increase vaccination rates among its elderly population, according to the report. A vaccine booster from CanSino Biologics, that can be inhaled, has been rolled out in some cities.
Since herd immunity is low due to the novel coronavirus being kept at bay during the Covid-19 pandemic's first two years, some experts have urged more vaccine doses.