Mitigating the risk of Covid-19 as China reopens
CLINICAL MATTERS
What a wonderful holiday season we just had. Face-to-face gatherings are once again the norm after two years of keeping to our own households, and celebrations have been on par or exceeded pre-pandemic festivities. The fireworks on New Year’s Eve were as noisy as ever, as if to exorcise the lingering threat of Covid-19.
Even as the word braces for the inevitable surge of cases from China, the threat of a new global wave is significantly diminished. Unlike the first wave of cases that devastated Wuhan and sparked a global crisis, the latest wave of Covid-19 from China this time around will find a world with high rates of vaccination and hybrid immunity. It will find many countries well-prepared with adequate test kits, PPE, and effective medications. Most countries are not even bothering to shut down their borders, and only a handful have initiated pre-departure testing.
The Philippines through the Department of Health has reiterated its mitigation measures against imported Covid-19 cases, including those from China. Lest we forget, China is not the only country with ongoing high rates of Covid-19 community transmission. Japan was hitting 200,000 cases a day in the last week of 2022, with the US and South Korea hitting tens of thousands of daily cases in that time period. Ironically, it is these same countries that are instituting mandatory pre-departure testing for Chinese travelers when their levels of community transmission are a higher threat to their populations than the relatively small number of Chinese travelers who arrive at their borders. Moreover, high vaccination rates al
