Medical experts 'running ahead' of COVID-19 outbreak

Imaginechina

Shanghai's COVID-19 outbreak remains at the "quite early stage" with a clear transmission chain under precise big data tracking, the city's top coronavirus expert has said.

All the new positive cases were found during screening for close contacts of an imported case. The number is very limited, said Dr Zhang Wenhong, head of Shanghai's COVID-19 treatment team and director of the National Center for Infectious Diseases.

"We've run ahead of the virus and created an ideal close-loop," Zhang said in an interview with CCTV news.

Shanghai has reported two locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and six local asymptomatic cases since Thursday. They are related to an imported asymptomatic COVID-19 case reported in the city on January 11.

The genetic sequencing has confirmed the new cases were infected with the Omicron variant, which is more transmissible than the previously dominant Delta variant, according to the National Health Commission.

Zhang said the new round of outbreak in Shanghai came about because the imported case failed to obey the rules on home quarantine. The authority is considering how to further enhance the management of those returning from abroad with laws and regulations, he added.

The imported asymptomatic COVID-19 case, the origin of the new cases, is a Chinese who was studying in the United States, who arrived at the Pudong International Airport on December 21.

Amid a new wave in the global pandemic caused by the Omicron variant, Shanghai has reported 350-plus imported cases since January 1, or some 25 cases a day on average, according to data from the Shanghai Health Commission.

Smallest risky area

Zhang said Shanghai will have to keep facing a high risk of imported cases for another half a year.

The milk tea store on 228 Yuyuan Road, elevated to a medium-level risk area on Thursday, is said to be the smallest medium risk area in the country.

Zhang said it is because the outbreak remains at the very early stage with a clear transmission chain. The city's precise prevention and big data tracking found most residents in the neighboring communities have not entered the milk tea store.

"If a wider community transmission appeared, the risky area would be adjusted," he added.

Zhang noted that though the Omicron variant led to fewer severe infections around the globe, its damage could not be ignored. A rapid increase of positive cases will put greater pressure on the medical system, he said.

Though vaccines cannot fully prevent the transmission of Omicron compared to other variants, a booster shot of the same or different vaccines remains effective in preventing death and severe conditions, he said. A booster shot can increase the immunity dozens of times, he added.

Zhang said the squeal of the COVID-19 pneumonia could be included in the after effects of viral pneumonia, such as mild pulmonary fibrosis, fatigue and mood disorders.

"I am still confident that the pandemic will end by the end of 2022," Zhang said.

"It will be the last cold winter caused by the pandemic," he said. "Every family and lovers will be able to reunite when the Spring Festival of 2023 comes around," he added.