COVID-19 "double positive" is on the hot search! If you don't want to have "double positive", you just need to do this →

Recently, there have been more and more discussions on the Internet about "sore throat" and "double positive". Is a new wave of the new coronavirus coming? What should we do in the face of the possible arrival of "double positive"?

Simply put, when facing a "double positive" situation, the key is to protect yourself .

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Since January this year, the COVID-19 positive rate in sentinel hospitals across the country has continued to decline, and the domestic COVID-19 epidemic trend has fallen, and it is now in a low epidemic period. Correspondingly, residents' lives are in good order, and industries such as tourism, catering, and cinemas are booming. The number of people not wearing masks on the streets is gradually increasing. People have become accustomed to life without COVID-19, and many people even believe that the new coronavirus has disappeared.

Low prevalence does not mean there is no infection, nor does it mean that the virus will no longer mutate or spread.

In fact, the new coronavirus has always existed , both at home and abroad, and is still mutating . XBB.1.16, which has recently attracted everyone's attention from media reports, is proof of this. This guy called "Arcturus" is a subtype of the new coronavirus Omicron variant and belongs to the famous XBB family. It was first discovered in January this year, and in just three months it has become popular in countries and regions such as India, the United States, Singapore and Australia. Moreover, due to its growth advantage over other variants, it was quickly included in the monitoring of variants by the World Health Organization after it was officially named in March.

At present, my country is also continuing to pay attention to the movement of XBB.1.16. According to data released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, as of April 20, the number of XBB.1.16 in local COVID-19 cases increased from 15 to 42. At the same time, the number of positive nucleic acid tests for COVID-19 reported by various provinces was 2,661, and the positive rate of COVID-19 nucleic acid tests was 1.7%. In this regard, some experts believe that COVID-19 infection is always present, and although XBB.1.16 has been detected, the level is not high.

Whenever a "double positive" occurs, personal protection is the key to avoiding infection.

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Many people's first reaction after seeing the relevant reports is to worry that they will be infected with the new coronavirus again. In fact, as long as you take good protection, it is still very safe. From the current situation, there are two main situations in which infected people appear. One is that people who have not been infected before become infected due to decreased immunity or contact with the source of infection; the other is that people who have been infected before, over time, the level of protective antibodies in the body decreases, and they are infected again when exposed.

Regardless of the above situation, there are two common factors, namely insufficient levels of autoantibodies and exposure to the environment where the new coronavirus exists . Therefore, as long as we take precautions against these two aspects, it is entirely possible to avoid infection or delay infection as much as possible.

First, you need to get vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine. After completing the full course of vaccination, you should actively get a booster shot, and the antibody level in your body will rise rapidly. Whether you have not been infected or have been infected, as long as your physical condition allows and the vaccination time has arrived, it is recommended that you get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Second, we must continue to do a good job of personal protection. Not feeling infected people around does not mean that the danger is not there. It is recommended that everyone still wear masks. For specific wearing principles, please refer to the "Guidelines for the Public to Wear Masks to Prevent New Coronavirus Infection (April 2023 Edition)" issued by the State Council's Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism Epidemic Prevention and Control Group. At the same time, wash your hands frequently, ventilate more, and try to avoid crowded areas. If you have fever, sore throat, cough, runny nose, muscle aches, fatigue and other suspected symptoms of new coronavirus infection, you must actively seek medical attention.

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As for the "double positive" problem, some domestic experts also believe that, unlike the peak of infection from the end of 2022 to the beginning of 2023, even if there is another peak of infection in the future, due to the existence of immune barriers, its scale may not be too large. Therefore, instead of worrying every day, it is better to take self-protection measures from now on, which is more effective.

Author: Zhang Yu, researcher at Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Reviewer: Tang Qin, Director of the Science Popularization Department of the Chinese Medical Association

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