Is the new coronavirus caused by the Omicron variant equivalent to a large-scale flu?

Is the new coronavirus caused by the Omicron variant equivalent to a large-scale flu?

What are the characteristics of this round of epidemic?

Which links contain the key points and difficulties in prevention and control?

Let’s take a look at the response from Liang Wannian, leader of the expert group of the National Health Commission’s epidemic response and disposal leading group.

Is the new coronavirus equivalent to a large-scale flu? It’s too early to conclude

At present, some members of the public and scholars have suggested that the new coronavirus caused by the Omicron variant is equivalent to a large-scale influenza. In response to this statement, Liang Wannian, head of the expert group of the National Health Commission's epidemic response and disposal leading group, said that it is too early to draw such a conclusion.

Liang Wannian: Because its transmission ability and harm to human health are higher than ordinary influenza, it may be that for a certain individual, the probability of him getting seriously ill or other conditions is decreasing. But as a whole, its transmission ability is fast, the infection rate is high in a short period of time, and the absolute number of infected people is large. Among the infected people, the absolute number of severe cases and deaths will be high. This high number is a great harm to a society, a region, and a country. Therefore, it is very important to move from individual thinking to group thinking.

Liang Wannian said that although the harm of the new coronavirus cannot be underestimated, it is gratifying that in the process of fighting it, humans are gradually mastering some effective "weapons" with the development of science and technology. In addition, through more than two years of anti-epidemic practice in China, the people have formed the awareness and behavior of consciously participating in the fight against the epidemic and becoming the masters of the fight against the epidemic, and good health literacy has gradually been developed. These are our hopes for defeating the epidemic.

Omicron's frequent outbreaks in many places pose a challenge to cutting off the source of infection

The current local clustered epidemics in my country are characterized by being numerous, widespread and frequent. Liang Wannian introduced that this is due to the characteristics of the Omicron mutant strain.

Liang Wannian said that from the earliest outbreak of COVID-19 to today's Omicron variant, the spread of the novel coronavirus is increasing rapidly and its concealment is increasing. From the perspective of the spread of Omicron, the most important thing is that it poses a great challenge to the discovery and management of the source of infection.

Liang Wannian: Because the proportion of asymptomatic infection is high and the proportion of mild cases is also high, the virus is more hidden in its spread. In addition, it is mainly transmitted through the respiratory tract, the transmission route is easy to achieve, and the population mobility is gradually increasing. These factors make it easy for the virus to spread from one group of people to another, or even from one country to another.

my country's existing measures have effectively curbed the rising trend of the epidemic

Recently, many places have adopted measures such as working from home, prohibiting the movement of people, and online teaching to curb the spread of the epidemic. Liang Wannian believes that unlike the "exponential" increase in infected cases abroad, my country's epidemic prevention and control measures have played a role and the spread of the virus has been effectively curbed.

Liang Wannian: From a global perspective, in many countries, the epidemic has risen rapidly in a short period of time, and this upward momentum is not a slow rise, but a steep rise, or even an exponential rise in academic terms. We have experienced this period of time. Although there have been sporadic cases in many places, and even local clusters of epidemics, the overall upward momentum is not exponential. This is precisely because we have taken a series of effective intervention measures to curb its upward momentum, so we must have confidence.

Liang Wannian: Governments and professional institutions at all levels must know that once an epidemic occurs, they must act quickly so that you can nip it in the bud. What we should be afraid of is hesitation and the mentality of taking chances. The virus is competing with us and racing with us, so we must adopt this spirit and attitude to control it.

Antigen testing and nucleic acid testing should complement and coordinate

The latest ninth edition of the "New Coronavirus Pneumonia Diagnosis and Treatment Plan" adds antigen testing as a supplement to nucleic acid testing. Online and offline platforms in many places have started selling it. Liang Wannian introduced that antigen testing and nucleic acid testing effectively complement and coordinate according to their characteristics, which is conducive to improving my country's ability to "early detect" epidemic prevention and control.

Liang Wannian: In the past, we mainly used nucleic acid testing, mainly because of its better sensitivity and specificity. The probability and accuracy of positive detection are more accurate than antigen. But it also has disadvantages: it requires special facilities and professional personnel to do it, so it is difficult to implement and will take a certain amount of time and energy. Antigen testing just makes up for this deficiency or defect. However, the disadvantage of antigen testing is that the sensitivity and specificity, that is, the accuracy is not as good as nucleic acid testing. By combining the two organically and learning from each other's strengths and weaknesses, we can greatly improve the efficiency and probability of our discovery of sources of infection and potential sources of infection.

Liang Wannian emphasized that since antigen testing is done by yourself, once a positive result is found, it must be reviewed and confirmed by nucleic acid testing. The division and definition of the application of antigen testing and nucleic acid testing must also be clarified and detailed in the next step.

Source: CCTV News