Since last night, the "new crown" rushed to the hot search, according to media reports, many people posted positive antigen maps, saying that the sun has recently sun, causing concern.
The XBB.1.16 variant named "Arcturus" was introduced into the mainland, and relevant foreign studies have shown that the transmission rate is more than 1 times higher than that of the congener variant, and infected people will have symptoms of conjunctivitis.
Approaching the May Day holiday, will the new crown epidemic rebound for the second time? Is it safe to go out on May Day? Do I need a booster shot before traveling? On April 22, a number of experts told Nandu reporters that ordinary people do not need to worry too much, and healthy people can travel normally on May Day.
As for vaccination, Cai Weiping, chief expert and chief physician of the Infectious Disease Center of the Eighth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, reminded that infected people during the peak period of the new crown from December last year ~ January this year do not need to be vaccinated for the time being; For those who have not yet been positive, it is best to receive a booster shot of the new crown vaccine, including spray mucosal vaccine, 4-valent vaccine, etc.
The level of population immunity is still high, and there is no need to worry too much about secondary infection
It has been 4 months since the peak of the last wave of new crown infections, and recently netizens found that someone around them tested positive for antigen. Approaching the "May Day" holiday, as the first small long holiday since the Spring Festival, people's demand for travel has increased greatly. What is the impact of the new variant on large-scale movement of people?
Professor Zhao Wei, director and professor of the Biosecurity Research Center of the School of Public Health of Southern Medical University, said that the number of infected people during the "May Day" period is likely to increase, but the proportion of immunization in the mainland population is high, and many people have been infected, and the immunity level of the population is still at a high level, so the probability of another pandemic in the near future is small, and the possibility of small-scale transmission still exists.
"Considering that the known mutation law of the new coronavirus and the transmission of the new coronavirus have no seasonal characteristics, it will show a continuous epidemic trend for a long time in the future, and it will coexist with humans for a long time like influenza." Zhao Wei said.
Peng Jie, deputy director of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Liver Disease Center of Southern Hospital of Southern Medical University and director of the Center for Intractable Infectious Diseases, suggested that there is no need to panic, and there may be a new round of small peaks in infection, but given that many people have established immune barriers, the peak, speed and impact of the new round of disease epidemic transmission will not be as "high", "fast" and "large" as before.
A few days ago, the latest situation of the national new coronavirus infection epidemic released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention showed that 328 cases of local key variants were monitored, including 15 cases of XBB.1.16 detected for the first time in the mainland. On April 21, the National Disease Control Administration said that XBB.1.16 in mainland local cases remained extremely low and did not form a transmission advantage.
This is also confirmed by the volume of fever outpatient consultations in various regions. In the past week, the number of visits to fever clinics nationwide has shown a downward trend, reaching 301,000 on April 13, down 89.5% from the peak.
Pictured by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention
The latest report of China Disease Control
On April 22, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced the latest situation of the new coronavirus infection epidemic nationwide. Compared with the data released by China CDC on April 15, from April 14 to April 20, 12 local key variants were newly detected.
Since December 9, 2022, the number of positive new coronavirus nucleic acid tests and the positive rate of the reported population in various provinces have shown a trend of first increasing and then decreasing, and the number of positive people has fluctuated and decreased after reaching a peak (6.94 million) on December 22, and dropped to 2,661 cases on April 20, 2023; The test positivity rate fluctuated after peaking at 29.2% on 25 December 2022 and was 1.7% on 20 April 2023.
From September to early December 2022, the number of weekly influenza-like cases (body temperature ≥ 38°C, accompanied by cough or sore throat) in influenza sentinel hospitals nationwide was stable at about 100,000, and the ratio of influenza-like cases to outpatient (emergency) visits fluctuated between 2.7% and 3.6%. The proportion of influenza-like cases (1.8%) began to increase in week 7 (13-19 February) of 2023, continued to decline after reaching a phase peak (9.1%) in week 10 (6-12 March), and decreased to 5.8% in week 15 (10 April-16 April).
From December 1, 2022 to April 20, 2023, a total of 32,993 local cases of novel coronavirus genome effective sequences were reported nationwide, all of which were Omicron variants, covering 117 evolutionary branches. The main epidemic strains were BA.5.2 and its subclades (composition ratio 64.3%) and BF.7 and its subclades (composition ratio 33.0%).
Among them, BA.5.2 and its subbranches include DY.2 (19.2%), DY.4 (11.6%), BA.5.2.48 (11.3%), DY.1 (8.6%), DY.3 (5.6%) and BA.5.2.49 (3.5%).
BF.7 and its subbranches include BF.7.14 (22.4%), BF.7.14.1 (3.7%), BF.7.14.5 (3.0%), BF.7.14.4 (2.4%), BF.7.14.3 (0.4%) and BF.7.14.2 (0.3%).
A total of 603 cases of local variants of focus were detected, of which 12 clades (Note: bolded below) were detected for the first time.
4 cases BQ.1, 4 cases BQ.1.1,
19 cases BQ.1.1.13, 1 case BQ.1.1.17,
1 case BQ.1.1.18, 1 case BQ.1.1.35,
1 case BQ.1.1.38, 1 case BQ.1.1.46,
1 case BQ.1.1.53, 2 cases BQ.1.1.66,
1 case BQ.1.1.69, 8 cases BQ.1.2,
1 case BQ.1.23, 2 cases BQ.1.8,
2 CH.1.1, 3 CH.1.1.1,
1 CH.1.1.11, 1 DT.2,
1 case EA.1, 2 cases EG.1,
3 cases EL.1, 7 cases EM.1,
1 case EU.1.1, 2 cases FB.1,
3 cases FE.1, 1 case XBB,
4 cases XBB.1, 2 cases XBB.1.11.1,
1 case XBB.1.12, 4 cases XBB.1.15,
42 cases XBB.1.16, 5 cases XBB.1.16.1,
16 cases XBB.1.17.1, 37 cases XBB.1.19.1,
2 cases XBB.1.22, 22 cases XBB.1.22.1,
1 case XBB.1.23, 5 cases XBB.1.24,
1 case XBB.1.4, 109 cases XBB.1.5,
2 cases XBB.1.5.11, 9 cases XBB.1.5.12,
2 cases XBB.1.5.15, 7 cases XBB.1.5.23,
35 cases XBB.1.5.24, 1 case XBB.1.5.28,
1 case XBB.1.5.32, 1 case XBB.1.5.36,
1 case XBB.1.5.5, 2 cases XBB.1.5.7,
2 cases XBB.1.9, 163 cases XBB.1.9.1,
35 cases XBB.1.9.2, 1 case XBB.1.9.3,
1 case XBB.1.9.5, 11 cases XBB.2.3,
1 case XBB.2.3.2, 1 case XBB.2.4 and 2 cases XBB.3.
Of note, 42 cases of XBB.1.16 were detected. Previously, data released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention last week (April 15) showed that a total of 15 cases of XBB.1.16 (the first time in mainland China) were detected, and this week it has increased to 42 cases.
Eye discomfort? Don't rub your eyes
Itchy, red eyes in children (conjunctivitis), the appearance of "sticky eyes" ... On social platforms, many netizens found that their children had the above symptoms and also expressed their concern about secondary infection.
It is reported that conjunctivitis is the main symptom of XBB.1.16 infected patients found in the current study. Conjunctivitis, also commonly known as "pink eye", is characterized by red eyes, gritty and itching.
So what are the characteristics of the new variant? Why is it easy to cause conjunctivitis?
Foreign studies have shown that the transmission efficiency of XBB.1.16 is slightly higher than that of the previously popular XBB.1 and XBB.1.5 variants, and the immune escape ability of XBB.1.16 is comparable to XBB.1.5.
Fortunately, there have been no reports of severe hospital admissions or deaths from XBB.1.16, nor have there been reports of higher disease severity compared to other Omicron subclades, but in vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and those with underlying medical conditions, individual differences do not rule out heavier clinical manifestations.
"Upper respiratory viral infections are inherently prone to conjunctivitis. The new crown virus mainly infects human cells through the binding of S protein and receptor ACE2, and there are ACE2 receptors on cornea and conjunctival cells in the eye, which can completely infect the new crown virus. Cai Weiping reminded that if your eyes are uncomfortable recently, remember not to rub your eyes.
In fact, similar eye symptoms have also appeared in previously popular cases of new coronavirus infection. China CDC reminds that if such symptoms occur recently, you should seek medical attention in time and treat them under the guidance of a doctor.
Masks are recommended for exposed environments
Do I need to stock up on medication? Zhao Wei said that clinical research judged that there will be no large-scale infection peak this time, and the drugs stored in hospitals can meet the needs of the public for medical treatment, and it is recommended that individuals do not need to hoard drugs. If you are infected with the new coronavirus, such as red eyes, foreign body sensation, decreased vision, etc., you should seek medical attention in time to treat the problem.
How to avoid infection with XBB.1.16? According to the CDC, the immunity retained by current vaccination or previous infections can still provide individuals with a certain degree of immune protection. Masks are still recommended when the public is in exposed environments, crowded places, or when exposed to vulnerable people.
At the same time, do a good job of self-health monitoring, especially the elderly and vulnerable groups with underlying diseases should pay special attention to self-protection.
Southern Metropolis Daily (nddaily), N video report
Nandu reporter Yang Liyun
According to Beijing Daily (Beijing_Daily intern reporter Chai Rong)
Finishing: Nandu official micro operation department