According to the People's Daily Health Report, on May 5, 2023, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tan Desai announced at a press conference held in Geneva that the COVID-19 epidemic no longer constitutes a "public health emergency of international concern".
Back more than three years ago, on January 30, 2020, WHO announced that the COVID-19 epidemic constituted a "public health emergency of international concern", which is the highest level early warning that WHO can issue in accordance with the International Health Regulations.
So far, the world-class public health early warning, which lasted for three years or three months, has become a past tense style. The haze that once enveloped global citizens should finally dissipate.
Dr. Zhang Wenhong said in the early morning of this morning, "We don't want everyone to think that people are just wearing masks in this world. In the end, we all don't need masks. What we want is free breathing, not breathing through the layer of cotton gauze on our masks.
In the past three years of the epidemic, we have been too eager to breathe freely, rather than gasping for breath through the layer of cotton gauze on our masks.
COVID-19 Renamed
Implement Class B and Class B management
At the end of last year, the National Health Commission of China announced that novel coronavirus pneumonia was renamed novel coronavirus infection.
In addition, with the approval of the State Council, as of January 8, 2023, the measures for the prevention and control of Class A infectious diseases stipulated in the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases against novel coronavirus infection will be lifted; The novel coronavirus infection is no longer included in the quarantine infectious disease management under the Frontier Health and Quarantine Law of the People's Republic of China.
This is another major adjustment in China's epidemic prevention and control policies. After the adjustment, it is called "Class B and Class B". The "management" is still in place. The adjustment is only about the level of management, not "no matter", not "lying flat". After the adjustment, the prevention and control of novel coronavirus infection in China is facing new situations and new tasks, and the prevention and control work has entered a new stage.
COVID-19 also came to join in the May Day holiday
Be the first person responsible for one's own health
The May Day just passed was the first five-day long holiday after the end of the COVID-19. The people of the whole country had a big trip. The flow data in and out of popular tourist cities doubled over the previous three years, even higher than the May Day in 2019.
While the number of tourists across the country has soared, the risk of infection of COVID-19 Eryang is also rising quietly.
After the holiday, many netizens on major social media platforms have exposed positive antigens, claiming that they have experienced eye pain, increased eye secretions, runny nose, cough, sore throat, nausea and vomiting, and other symptoms of the eye, respiratory, and digestive systems after returning from playing. The news on their social media is frequently "exposed to the sun".
Although the symptoms of the first infection are milder, some experts say that the second positive will not occur on a large scale. However, if the next wave of mutation effectively breaks through the immune barrier formed by the human body to fight against the previous wave of virus, there is a high possibility of forming a second wave of infection peak.
Therefore, while enjoying holidays during recent outings, one should not relax their awareness of epidemic prevention. Develop good living and hygiene habits, take daily precautions, treat them scientifically, and face them optimistically.
COVID-19 pandemic ushers in a turning point
But it's not letting it go
Although WHO announced that the COVID-19 epidemic no longer constitutes a "public health emergency of international concern", it is not laissez faire. It does not mean that all prevention and control measures have been relaxed. It is still necessary to vaccinate some people, especially high-risk groups and vulnerable groups.
The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a turning point. What are the main considerations for this decision? What kind of impact will it bring to our country and the world?
Liang Wannian, the expert group leader of the Leading Group for Epidemic Response and Response of the National Health Commission, and Shi Guoqing, the deputy director of the Emergency Center of the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, provided timely explanations on these issues.
First, from the perspective of the current epidemic situation, the number of COVID-19 infections, the number of inpatients, the number of ICU inpatients, and the number of deaths reported globally are all in a continuous decline.
Second, although COVID-19 continues to mutate, the harm of the mutated strains to human health has not changed much.
Thirdly, globally, a relatively good immune barrier has been established through natural infection and vaccination among the population.
Fourthly, over the past three years, countries have strengthened their capacity building in medical assistance systems and public health systems, including human resources, protective equipment, drugs, and other aspects.
Globally, the situation of the COVID-19 epidemic has changed substantially. How will China respond to the COVID-19 epidemic in the next step? Two experts provided answers to this question.
1, There are several aspects of work that need to be continued. First, we should effectively monitor the variation of COVID-19 and the occurrence and development of the epidemic, and at the same time, we should make up for weaknesses, strengths and weaknesses, and constantly improve the public health system. The second is to continue to strengthen vaccination for some high-risk and key populations. The third is to continue to strengthen clinical treatment capabilities, especially for severe cases. The fourth is to call on everyone to maintain some good hygiene habits that have been developed.
2, China has established a multi-channel monitoring and early warning system, monitoring urban communities, sentinel hospitals, key places, urban sewage, etc., continuously observing changes in the epidemic, and timely conducting risk assessment. If a clustered epidemic is found, immediately initiate an on-site investigation.
epilogue
Looking back at the three years of the epidemic, people all over the world have been actively responding to it. Today, the three years of anti epidemic efforts have not been in vain. While we are gratified by our efforts, it is also essential to continue to do a good job in monitoring and early warning, and strengthen health education and risk communication; On the other hand, it is necessary to make good drug reserves and achieve the popularization and popularization of drugs.
