Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

What China’s new coronavirus wave means for Europe

What China’s new coronavirus wave means for Europe

As Europe kicks the can on travel measures, experts slam Italy’s decision to test arrivals from China.

Europe’s expert infectious disease body, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), has branded screenings and travel measures on people arriving from China as “unjustified,” following Italy's introduction of mandatory testing.

While the Continent is on high alert for another possible surge in coronavirus cases after China loosened its restrictions, so far, the bloc has declined to join Italy in imposing travel measures. In addition, Europe’s infectious disease experts have presented several reasons why there is no need to fear China’s surging cases, and why, in fact, Italy’s approach could be damaging.

Nonetheless, some EU leaders are mulling new measures to curb infections from China. France’s President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that he had asked the government for "appropriate measures" to protect people, reported Le Figaro.

However, at a press conference on Thursday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni confirmed that Italy has not yet identified any concerning mutations in the virus, with samples sequenced so far all being linked to the long-dominant Omicron strain.

So does China's COVID-19 wave pose a major threat to Europe? Are travel measures prudent or political overkill? Here's what you need to know.


Are we heading back to EU-wide restrictions?


No. At least, not now.

Ministers from the European Union’s 27 members, as well as EEA countries, gave no sign on Thursday that this would be happening soon.

Meeting with the European Commission, the ECDC and the World Health Organization (WHO), under the guise of the EU Health Security Committee, they discussed what measures were necessary, if any, to avert another COVID crisis.

And the answer, for now, is let’s keep talking. Read: no action.

“Coordination of national responses to serious cross border threats to health is crucial,” the Commission’s health directorate DG SANTE tweeted after the closed-door meeting. “We need to act jointly & will continue our discussions.”

A Commission spokesperson added in a statement that the Commission will “continue to facilitate discussions between Member States and stand ready to convene further meetings if needed.”

Patients in the lobby of the Chongqing No. 5 People's Hospital in Chongqing


Europe’s expert infectious disease body, the ECDC, took a much stronger line.

“Evaluations have shown that travel measures can be beneficial and justified within a [10-to-14-day] time window,” the agency said in an emailed statement to POLITICO. That means right at the beginning of a pandemic or the emergence of a new variant.

“Longer travel measures on the other hand can have unintended negative consequences,” the agency said, such as economic impact and discrimination.


Will China’s COVID wave cause a new surge of cases in Europe?


Probably not. That’s because China is behind the global COVID curve when it comes to variants.

“Because China’s variants have been and gone in the rest of the world, the threat of these viruses coming back out of China and causing waves is pretty unlikely,” said virologist Tom Peacock of Imperial College, London. While they are mostly linked to the Omicron variant, those lineages are “less fit” compared with what is already circulating in Europe, he pointed out, so they won’t be able to compete with the strains of today.

Put another way, the variants currently observed in China “are not challenging for the immune response of EU/EEA citizens,” the ECDC said.

Testing in the Jing'an district in Shanghai


In addition, the relative number of cases being imported from China is low compared with the current number of daily cases in EU countries.

Across the WHO Europe region, there were close to a million new cases reported in the week before Christmas alone, a WHO Europe spokesperson said, and this is probably a “great underestimate” given limited testing and surveillance.


Could the Chinese surge deliver a nasty new variant?


This, according to French virologist Bruno Lina, is also unlikely. In fact, he went as far as to describe it as a “fantasy” to Les Echos.

That’s because immune pressure causes a virus to evolve so that it can evade antibodies. “But in China, there is no immune pressure,” he said, referring to the low prior infection levels.

Before this wave, only around 2 percent of the Chinese population had been infected with COVID, he said, and around 60 percent have been vaccinated, mostly with China’s Sinovac, which was shown to be less effective than mRNA vaccines.

But Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, is more cautious.

“We cannot be complacent,” he told POLITICO. “We know that widespread transmission in large populations with less-than-optimal vaccination coverage anywhere are risk factors for the emergence of new variants of concern.”

Kluge reiterated the WHO’s call for “vigilance, testing and sequencing of the virus — and, very important — transparent data sharing. This applies to all countries across all regions,” he said.


Is Europe equipped to deal with more COVID?


Right now, that’s debatable.

Many health systems are operating at peak capacity, with surging cases of respiratory diseases including seasonal influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and Strep A, as well as COVID.

But COVID hospitalizations remain relatively low.

“EU health care systems are currently able to manage COVID-19 infections,” the ECDC spokesperson said, noting that European citizens have “relatively high immunization and vaccination levels.”

But they could be higher. The WHO’s Kluge urged in a tweet that all 53 countries in the WHO Europe region “renew vaccination efforts,” adding that the “current global scenario underscores the urgency.”

EU leaders are mulling new measures to curb infections from China


He also urged countries to review and replenish their supplies of medicines, such as antibiotic penicillin, COVID-19 vaccines and antivirals. “Stockpiles of essential medicines are running low across the @WHO_Europe Region,” he tweeted.

The WHO spokesperson underscored the importance of genetic sequencing to give the region early sight of any possibly dangerous variants. “The key issue, as always, is to ensure strong genomic surveillance to pick up at an early stage any possible changes in the virus and modify our intervention measures accordingly,” the spokesperson said.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
×