Original title: Xinhua All Media + | Aomi Kerong Re-judgment: Is the toxicity weakened? Is the vaccine still effective?
Fight against Omikeron! At 24:00 on the 8th, 2 new indigenous cases in Tianjin were confirmed as infection of the Aomi Kerong variant. From 7 o'clock on the 9th, Tianjin launched nucleic acid testing for all employees. On the 10th, Anyang City, Henan Province, confirmed that the two cases previously found in the local area were infected with the Aomi Kerong variant, which belonged to the same transmission chain as the epidemic in Tianjin.
With The Entry of Omikeron becoming the main epidemic strain in some countries, the pressure of China's "external defense import" continues to increase. Has the toxicity of Omilon weakened as it spreads rapidly around the world? Are existing vaccines still working? How to better carry out accurate prevention and control in the future? The reporter sorted this out.
At a nucleic acid testing site in Tianjin's Binhai High-tech Zone on January 9, staff take nucleic acid samples for the masses. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhao Zishuo
Is the virus less toxic? More research is needed to prove it
A number of studies from different parts of the world have shown that the Omiljung variant has the characteristics of fast transmission and strong concealment, but the symptoms of pneumonia caused by it are relatively mild.
A joint study by scientists from Japan and the United States showed that hamsters and mice infected with Omikeron had less lung damage and a lower chance of death than previous strains.
Scientists in Hong Kong, China, have found that the "growth" rate of Olmi kerong in these samples is slower than other strains after studying the lung tissue samples of new crown pneumonia patients.
Abdi Mahmoud, the World Health Organization's covid-19 response officer, said on the 4th that more and more studies have shown that the Olmikron strain causes upper respiratory tract infections, which are different from other strains that cause severe pneumonia. "But we still need more research to prove it." The official added at the same time.
Although the available data show that the symptoms of the Omiljung infection case are generally mild, considering the mass vaccination of vaccines and the large number of young people in some infected areas, it is not possible to fully conclude that the virus virulence has weakened.
The number of new confirmed cases of new coronavirus in the United States exceeded 1 million on the 3rd, setting a new record for the number of new confirmed cases in a single day. The researchers note that even if the toxicity of Omikejong weakens, but the spread is enhanced, if cases continue to surge, the number of hospitalizations and deaths will continue to rise.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus publicly stated on the 6th that although the risk of causing severe illness is lower than that of Delta, this does not mean that it should be classified as "moderate".
Zhang Wenhong, director of the National Center for Infectious Disease Medicine and director of the Department of Infectious Diseases of Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University, said that the Aomi Kerong variant currently shows different characteristics in different countries, and there is no scientific basis for the view that The Aomi Kerong is a "large flu".
How effective are vaccines? The latest research suggests that severe illness can at least be avoided
Data released by WHO on the 6th showed that 90% of the world's severe cases of new crown have not been vaccinated against new crown. At the same time, a growing number of studies have found that in the vaccinated population, the risk of severe illness in Olmi kerong appears to be lower.
Experts from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention interviewed said that Aomi Kerong carries a large number of spike protein mutations, which may lead to increased immunity to evade vaccines. However, some studies have found that people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 or have been infected with COVID-19 in the past 6 months still have more T cells in their bodies that form a second line of defense, which can deter Omiljung and protect the body from severe illness.
The above experts said that the study shows that after the inactivated new crown vaccine is injected, the titer of the antibody rises rapidly and is maintained at a high level, which helps to better prevent the mutated strain. Compared with other strains, Omiqueron makes the vaccine more effective, so it is particularly necessary to give a booster injection.
Zhang Wenhong believes that the reason why some countries have "broken through" this wave of the epidemic and the case fatality rate is controlled at a low level is mainly due to the high covid-19 vaccination rate. The role of vaccines in the prevention and control of the new crown epidemic cannot be underestimated.
A worker packs a locally bottled Koxing vaccine in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 5, 2021. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhu Wei
What is the future trend of the epidemic? Adhere to the "external anti-input, internal anti-rebound"
Experts from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention organized by the National Health commission believe that China's prevention and control strategy of "external prevention of import and internal prevention and rebound" is still effective for Aumi Kerong.
In response to the imported Delta, many provinces in China have effectively controlled the epidemic for about a incubation period. In this process, a lot of prevention and control experience has been summarized, including improving the ability to prevent and detect the epidemic, and further exerting the role of circulation and supervision team, which can also be used to "deal" with Omi Kerong.
Experts from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said that wearing masks is still an effective way to block the spread of the virus, and the same applies to Omi kerong. In addition, it is necessary to wash hands frequently, do indoor ventilation, and do a good job of personal health monitoring.
Chinese medicine is also actively acting. On the 9th, the First Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine distributed more than 7,000 bags of carefully decoctioned preventive decoction to front-line staff and close isolation personnel for the first time.
When Aomi Kerong struck, Academician Zhang Boli and other relevant experts connected with the local child case diagnosis and treatment team and the imported case diagnosis and treatment team in Europe, America, Africa and other countries, and found that compared with previous patients, the new crown pneumonia patients of the Aomi Kerong variant showed more obvious signs of external wind and cold in the early stage, and the symptoms of lung fever were manifested in the medium term, accompanied by two deficiencies of qi and yin.
Zhang Boli said that it is necessary to do a good job in the revision of the TCM diagnosis and treatment plan and rehabilitation plan, combine seasonal factors and children's physical characteristics, give full play to the advantages of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine, and give the best medical care to patients, especially children.
"Adhering to the supremacy of the people and the supremacy of life is the fundamental starting point and foothold of all our prevention and control measures." The relevant person in charge of the National Health Commission stressed that as long as the general strategy of "external prevention of import and internal prevention of rebound" and the general policy of "dynamic zero clearance" are resolutely implemented, and various prevention and control measures are implemented in detail, the epidemic will certainly be controlled as soon as possible.
Reporters: Dong Ruifeng, Xu Penghang
Editor: Liu Yuanyuan