From December 2, 2022, China began to relax Covid-19 testing and isolation requirements in some cities, after widespread protests demanding the release of people. The harsh Zero-Covid policy not only damaged the economy of this country, but also caused many people to lose their relatives and have a mental crisis. The culmination of the protests was the death of more than 20 people in a fire in an apartment building in Urumqi, Xinjiang on November 24, 2022. The victims could not get out because they were locked in their homes for isolation.
Not having time to rejoice at being free, Chinese people have to face the biggest outbreak since the Covid -19 virus first appeared in Wuhan market, in November 2019 and spread around the world. According to new projections from the US-based Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), China could explode in millions of cases and deaths in 2023. The country’s Covid outbreak will peak around mid-March 2023, while the death toll could reach 310,000 by early April 2023.
According to experts, variant BF.7, a new variant of Omicron BA.5 that accounts for the majority of infections in China, has an extremely high infection rate. Therefore, the concern that the disease may re-emerge is very large, once this variant spreads to other countries around the world.
Before the news that China abandoned its Zero-Covid policy and reopen the border completely from January 8, many countries quickly imposed regulations, according to which passengers coming from China must carry out the inspection testing. More than 10 countries have introduced this regulation, including: the US, Japan and some EU countries. Meanwhile, China’s Foreign Ministry criticized the request, calling it discriminatory.
Vietnam has basically controlled Covid-19 pandemic and the country is returning to a normal state. However, the risk of a resurgence due to new waves of variants coming from China after January 8 will be very high, especially during the upcoming Tet holiday.
Doctor Truong Huu Khanh, former Head of the Department of Infection-Neurology, Children’s Hospital 1, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Infectious Association, on January 2, told RFI that the level of immunity in Vietnam is high, so there is no need for people to worry too much. According to official statistics, up to now, nearly 265.5 million doses of vaccine have been injected, with people over 18 years old getting three shots, up to 80% of the population.
“What matters is the level of immunity in Vietnam. Immunity in Vietnam when testing some areas has reached more than 90%. Vietnam has also gone through a period of response to Omicron. If the variant Omicron is still in a clade of Omicron, it’s not a concern for a country with such a high level of immunity,” Mr. Khanh added.
It is not clear whether Dr. Truong Huu Khanh’s comments are subjective, because people who have received 3 shots of vaccines can still contract the virus, but with new strains, no one knows in advance what will happen next.
Border crossings between China and Vietnam will also be fully opened from January 8. Vietnam will probably face a new wave of contagion from China. The border gates trading with China are the places where the volume of goods and people is crowded, while the tourist destinations in the Central region such as Nha Trang, Da Nang, Hue… are their favorite destinations.
In stark contrast to the draconian anti-epidemic measures that the Vietnamese government once imposed on the people in the country, such as blockade, tracing, isolation, etc., the regulations for Chinese people entering the country are still loose because “unnecessary.” Obviously there is a sense of abstinence, although the risk of an outbreak of disease is likely because the travel of Chinese through Vietnam is very high.
Thoibao.de (Translated)
