European health agency told in an address about the Chinese COVID-19 surge, which is like to impact Europe.
European Health Agency's Say on COVID-19 Outbreak
And though the European Commission has tried to offer Beijing vaccine doses, the EU's health agency has mentioned that the rise in COVID-19 cases in mainland China is unlikely to result in an outbreak of pathogens throughout the EU, reported Euractiv.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) stated on Tuesday, January 3, that the influx of cases in China should not impact the COVID-19 epidemiological situation in the EU/EEA due to strong herd immunity.
A few member states, like France, Italy, and Spain, are now taking measures like COVID-19 certification requirements on tourists coming from China, while the others will wait for a coherent response.
England will start demanding pre-departure screening for travelers from the Chinese mainland beginning this Thursday. A specimen of the arrivals will also be evaluated to improve current procedures and keep an eye out for new variants, citing Ground News.
Steve Barclay, the UK's Secretary of State for Health, said on Friday that it is necessary to take an equitable and precautionary position by declaring such temporary solutions while trying to assess the data, noted Gov UK.
EU Offers Donations of Variant-Adapted Vaccines
Last Tuesday, an EU spokesperson stated that Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides offered EU assistance to her Chinese counterparts in the form of public health experts as well as variant-adapted EU vaccine contributions to deal with the sharp rise. Thus far, there has yet to be a response from the Chinese side.
Kyriakides added that how Beijing would respond would determine how it would proceed. After the mass protests against the hardline measures of the Chinese government, the controversial three-year 'zero COVID' policy was dropped in December. Nearly all prohibitions are now lifted, and the isolation requirements for foreign visitors will also be removed this January.
Chinese COVID-19 surge
Based on the ECDC cited the low population as what caused the sharp rise in serious cases. Nevertheless, low population immunity has led to a significant rise in cases. Early December 2022 saw an all-time high in documented infectious diseases, as reported by the ECDC.
Since then, the figures have also decreased; however, the EU's health agency suggested that this could be due to a decrease in screening potential. The ECDC noted that there needs to be more reliable information on COVID-19 cases, hospital stays, lives lost, and the capabilities and availability of the intensive care units (ICUs) in China.
According to sources, China's health commission needs to share the daily reports on COVID-19 cases starting December 24, mentioned NHC Gov.
On December 30, the World Health Organization (WHO) urged that Chinese officials regularly share specific and up-to-date details on the epidemiological scenario, such as extra genetic sequencing information and data on the effect of maladies, including hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and casualties.
Jakob Forssmed, the minister of health for Sweden, mentioned in a press statement that the presidency is seeking a coherent policy strategy for the possible implementation of entry criteria.
According to a European Heath Agency, an eye will be on the Chinese COVID-19 surge that will not likely impact Europe.
