New Delhi: As the Covid crisis has deepened in China, President Xi Jinping said on Monday that China faced a "new Covid situation." This was the first time he had spoken about the grim healthcare situation in the country, reported news agency PTI. As the country's COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control faces new situations and new responsibilities, Xi stated in his new directive that more targeted patriotic health campaigns should be conducted.
The state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Monday that Xi demanded increased efforts to guide the public toward acquiring health knowledge and skills, maintaining good personal hygiene, and developing a healthy lifestyle in order to build a defense line against the epidemic for the entire society as China continues to reel under a wave of Omicron variants.
After his government overnight relaxed the stringent zero-covid policy earlier this month in response to widespread anti-government protests, this is the first time the Chinese president has commented on the dire Covid situation in the country.
Since then, an increase in infections across the country has been fueled by cases that are believed to be Omicron variants.
Premier Li Keqiang has urged all levels of government to put in more effort, effectively ensure that people have access to medical services and supplies to fight the epidemic, and protect people's lives and health.
The Chinese government reported seven deaths, all in Beijing, despite reports of overcrowded ICUs and crematoriums across several cities.
According to a leaked document, which is said to have come from China's National Health Commission, the recent spike in infections occurred between December 1 and 20 and affected 248 million people, or 17.56 percent of the population.
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According to official media accounts, Beijing's intensive care units are under pressure as community transmission of the Omicron variant has resulted in rapidly increasing numbers of severe cases, the majority of which are among the elderly.
After several weeks of people congregating in malls and restaurants, Beijing and Shanghai almost returned to normal, despite concerns.
According to a report published on Monday by state-run Xinhua, a total of 13 different COVID-19 vaccines are now available as the second booster shot in China. These vaccines have been approved for emergency use or conditional marketing.
It stated that experts recommend omicron-resistant vaccines for second booster doses.
On the Chinese mainland, more than 3.46 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine had been administered as of Friday, with over 90% of the population fully vaccinated.
According to the report, people with a high risk of infection, particularly those over the age of 60, those with serious underlying health conditions, and those with low immunity, should get a second booster shot six months after the first one.
According to experts, for the second booster, people who have had three doses of inactivated vaccines can choose a different type of vaccine—one that is recommended by the government—a recombinant protein vaccine, an adenovirus vector vaccine, or an influenza virus vector vaccine.
(With PTI Inputs)