China Covid-19 surge a cause for concern, prompting nations to impose entry restrictions

The Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation at North West University and a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Vaccines, Professor Jeffery Mpahlele, said the Covid-19 outbreak in China is cause for caution.

However, he said we should not be too concerned.

Nations across the globe are implementing or considering measures to test or restrict travellers from China as the country abandons its zero-Zero policy and prepares to reopen its borders in early January.

This comes as Hong Kong is dropping almost all its Covid-19 restrictions this week following, following a similar move by mainland China.

From Thursday, people arriving in the city- a special administrative region of China- will no longer have to do mandatory PCR tests.

The vaccine pass system will also be scrapped- but compulsory masks in public places will continue.

It is a dramatic move by the city, which once had some of the toughest restrictions in the world.

Also being scrapped from Thursday is the rule that limits the number of people allowed to gather outside to 12.

This was increased from four people in October as part of measures to begin reopening the city.

The US is considering new coronavirus precautions for people travelling from China because there are questions about the transparency of the data China is reporting about the spread of the virus, according to American officials, who asked not to be identified discussing internal thinking.

China is experiencing the world’s largest Covid-19 outbreak, raising concerns among public health officials worldwide. Almost 37 million people have been infected on a single day last week, according to estimates from the government’s top health authority.

Mpahlane noted that the majority of the Chinese population has been vaccinated but not enjoying the added benefits of natural immunisation.

“We now know that actually hybrid immunisation. In other words, immunisation you get from vaccines plus infection is better than either. So, this means what we’re seeing in China is expected but over time they will be in a better position,” said Mpahlane.

Source: BBC News, CNN, Eyewitness News, Bloomberg, image from Twitter: @alfonslopeztena

Doctor Mahlaule

Doctor Mahlaule previously worked as a Freelance Journalist at Find-it SA where he was responsible for writing news articles and sharing them on social media platforms. Doctor Mahlaule holds a Diploma in Journalism, BA in Communication Science and a BA Honours in Media Studies. Doctor began his journey as a knowledge Management and Communications Intern at Zenex Foundation. He was responsible for support in event management, social media, website maintenance, writing and brand management. On weekends Doctor attends prison ministry and shares the scriptures with inmates at Krugersdorp prison and plays soccer in the afternoon on some weekends. He has a passion for reading and writing and enjoys going out with friends and socialising in his spare time. He has a one-year-old son and is planning on getting married soon. When asked about what keeps him going, he said: “My family keeps me going. I’m the man I am because I come from a loving home. I have a very supportive family who always encourages me to keep pushing hard.”

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