Since the outbreak in 2019, the new crown virus has undergone many mutations and is still raging around the world. At present, with its super transmission ability, the Ami kerong variant has gradually become the "mainstream" in many countries, constantly pushing up the number of confirmed cases of new crown in the world.
Compared with many countries that have begun to "loosen" epidemic prevention measures, China has never "unloaded its burden" and continued to adhere to the epidemic prevention policy of "dynamic clearance", while controlling the spread of the virus, it has also contributed to the recovery of the global economy and the recovery of the global supply chain industry chain. How should China's "epidemic prevention answer sheet" be interpreted? How can the global "vaccine deficit" be addressed? Will the winter that just passed be the last winter of COVID-19? In response to this series of hot spots, Yoshihito Niki, a visiting professor in the Department of Clinical Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Showa University, Japan, was recently interviewed by Knowws in Tokyo, Japan.
In recent years, as an expert in related fields, Yoshitomo Niki has made in-depth observations of Japan's epidemic prevention policies and vaccinations, and has also actively followed global epidemic prevention trends, especially China's epidemic prevention measures. On November 30, 2020, he also participated in the online activity of the "Shanghai-Yokohama Sister Cities Exchange Meeting and Symposium on the Prevention and Control of New Crown Pneumonia", and exchanged and discussed the experience of China and Japan in epidemic prevention and control with Zhang Wenhong, head of the Shanghai Clinical Treatment Expert Group for Covid-19.
In the face of the common threat of mankind - the new crown epidemic, Niki Yoshitomo reminded that all countries should not be careless, but must unite to overcome difficulties in order to usher in true human security.
[At present, the world is responding to Theomilon, some medical people define the Omiljung as the "big flu", and believe that the prevention and control measures should be relaxed or even lifted. 】
Yoshitoshi Niki: We know that Omilton is extremely infectious, and it is a fact that people or young people who have been vaccinated, as well as those who do not have any diseases themselves, generally do not become seriously ill and have low mortality. But for the elderly, those with underlying medical conditions, and those who have not been vaccinated, Omiqueron remains a dangerous virus. Recently, in Japan, the number of hospitalizations, severe illnesses and deaths, mainly the elderly, are increasing, so it is still necessary to do a good job in epidemic prevention and not to take this virus lightly.
[Unlike some countries in Europe and the United States that hope for "herd immunity", China has always adhered to the "dynamic clearance" policy of early detection, early diagnosis, early isolation and early treatment in epidemic prevention. 】
Ermu Fangren: As a way to prevent the epidemic, the "zero clearance" policy is a correct direction, and the policy itself is not wrong. But the problem is that not every country can do it, because it requires forcing citizens to strictly abide by various rules, and if nucleic acids are applied to a large number of people, the testing capacity and containment capacity must keep up, which are necessary conditions for the implementation of the "zero clearance" policy.
We have seen that the just-concluded Beijing Winter Olympics has done a very good job in epidemic prevention work, and the countermeasures to prevent infection have been very perfect. When we hosted the Tokyo Olympics, we also adopted a similar bubble management method, through active virus detection, relatively controlling the number of infected people to the minimum. We also see that adopting this approach requires a lot of effort on the part of many people, which must be very hard and not achievable in all countries. However, Japan and China have set a good example for the world, telling the world that as long as they work hard, they can achieve it.
[WHO data shows that global inequality in access to COVID-19 vaccines remains a difficult problem in the face of the global fight against the pandemic. What are the main reasons for the global vaccine "distribution deficit"? What do you think of the repeated calls by Chinese state leaders for the promotion of equitable distribution of vaccines? 】
Yoshitoshi Niki: This is largely due to the limited number of vaccines produced, and many countries are focusing on prioritizing their own needs, so there is a situation of competition for vaccines. In this process, developed countries are usually the first to benefit, and it is difficult for developing countries to obtain vaccines equally, and the fact that vaccines must be low-preserved and very fragile has exacerbated the vaccine "distribution deficit".
For vaccines, I think both the Chinese leaders and the WHO leaders are right about whether this world-class pandemic can be ended without vaccines covering the rest of the world, so it's important to distribute vaccines evenly. On the basis of producing more effective vaccines first, countries need to put aside the idea of self-interest, especially strong assistance to low-income countries.
[As humans develop vaccines and drugs, viruses are mutating.] What is the most important thing to win this war between humanity and COVID-19? 】
Yoshitoshi Niki: The new coronavirus is constantly mutating, but the vaccines and drugs we produce can't keep up with the rate of mutation. Fortunately, in the process of mutation of the new crown virus, although the contagious force has become stronger, it is relatively speaking, it will be like the mutant strain of Aomi Kerong, the fatality rate and the power of severe illness are declining, and eventually evolving into a cold and flu-level virus, which is also possible. But before we do that, we need to learn how best to deal with it.
Among the current global challenges, I think it is more important to pay attention to the destruction of the earth's environment. Especially at a time of increasing population, in the face of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, large countries, small enterprises and individuals have their own positions and considerations, which are related to whether the global environment can be improved, which may also be closely related to the next global epidemic of infectious diseases. Because in the wake of COVID-19, we don't know when the next world pandemic will come and how fast it will be transmitted, we should act together towards that goal.
[As of now, the new crown pandemic has been more than 2 years, and some infectious disease experts believe that with more than half of the global population infected with Omi kerong, as well as the increase in vaccination rates in various countries, the end point of the new crown epidemic may be this year. Do you agree? 】
Yoshito Niki: Yeah, if only it could be like that, but the coronavirus is too stubborn. We have taken so many countermeasures, and the virus mutation is still repeated, wave after wave. Whether the epidemic can be ended depends on the development of the virus. As I said just now, although it is becoming more infectious to a certain extent, it may gradually evolve into a virus that is not so toxic to us, and maybe that will be the end of the epidemic. Personally, I think it may take some time to end the outbreak.
(Look at the news By News editor Ma Yingying)