Tuesday, January 3, 2023

Awareness of "white lung", secondary infection, severe covid treatments, XBB.1.5 infection

 Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

News on disease control, CCP, Taiwan

News (1) to (4) / Reporter : Lin Yi / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2023/01/03/a103615279.html / Image : Video Screenshot

News (1)

Secondary infection of severe cases occur frequently after blockade lifted 

The epidemic has broken out in China, and the symptoms of "white lung" are also spreading to all age groups. At the same time, "Fuyang" and "secondary infection" have become the new nightmare of many people. First of all, I will take you to pay attention to the epidemic situation in the mainland.

News (2)

Mainland doctor: "The wards are full these two days, and almost all of them are Xiaoyang people (covi-positive patients)."

For more than a month, the number of people infected with the covid virus (covi, CCP virus) in various provinces in the mainland has soared, and many infected patients have developed severe pneumonia with "white lung", that is, bilateral lesions in the lungs have reached more than 75%.

However, to the panic of many medical staff, the current "white lung" is spreading rapidly and affecting all age groups.

Mainland doctor: "More than one-third of the patients are seriously ill, more than 40 people, and there are more than a dozen or 20 large "white lungs". Big white lungs are not all old people, they are in their twenties, in their forties. There are also those in their sixties, which makes me a little panicked. "

Another netizen posted that a 5-day-old newborn at home was notified of critical illness by the hospital after being infected, and white lung appeared in 1/3 of the right lung.

News (3)

Adverse events of covi infection in China, Chinese coined "white lung myocardium" to satirize failure of dynamic clearing

Due to the large number of patients with "white lung" and "myocarditis" in this round of epidemic, the Chinese people even coined the term "white lung myocardium" to satirize the authorities' ineffective three-year "dynamic clearing".

News (4)

Patient reported repeated diagnosis after a bath

Patient's family member: "It's been more than an hour, it's been two hours."

From infants to adults, regardless of age, there is no warning, and even people who have been "positive" suddenly become seriously ill after taking a bath.

Patient's family: "After she became covi-positive, she took a bath. This is the second time."

Just when many first-time infected patients have not yet turned covi-negative, many people who have passed covi-positive have been infected again, which has attracted much attention to the topics of "recovery" and "secondary infection". "Weaker immunity" and "Secondary infections are mostly severe" have caused more panic.

Netizen: "I'm afraid of secondary infection, and the second infection will be over when I go to the doctor. The older man in his 60s and 70s has died several times in the automatic room here. Now in my hospital, it is that the beds are basically those patients with secondary infection.”

News (5)

Consequence of serious shortage of medical resources exacerbated by "white lung" and covid death spikes

The outbreak of the epidemic has highlighted the serious shortage of medical resources in the mainland, and the phenomenon of medical runs is becoming more and more serious.

Mainland emergency doctor: "Look at this man's lung. He is 78 years old. He has had it for two days. There is no bed (place). This lung is 92 years old. He has had it for three days. He has passed away in our emergency department. The bed hasn’t come out yet. What can I do? Perhaps no one knows better than them what a medical run is.”

The number of deaths due to covi infection has also skyrocketed.

A netizen from the city of Jinzhou, Liaoning Province: "Jinzhou City Affiliated Hospital, I stopped here for two hours, and within two hours, the funeral car took away 8 people."

Netizen: "Ah! Build this stove that burns people. Look at this worker, oh my god, look at it."

Mainland writer Liu Xinwu lamented in an article: All of a sudden, the world is full of sorrow, the world is empty, and the hell mode is turned on in the world overnight.

Airfinity, a British data analysis company, inferred through mathematical models that the number of cases of covi infection will peak on 13 January 2023, with 3.7 million new cases every day and 1.7 million deaths. The second peak will occur on 3 March 2023, and the number of daily cases may reach 4.2 million. Rural areas will then be disproportionately affected by subsequent waves.

News (6) to (10) / Editor : Qian Jiaojiao / Source : CCTV News WeChat public account comprehensive "News 1+1" / http://www.chinanews.com.cn/sh/2023/01-01/9925463.shtml

News (6)

When does white lung appear? Can chest tightness and cough after turning overcast lead to pneumonia? Experts remind

At the peak of the covi infection, the pneumonia caused by the covid virus attracted attention, and the term "white lung" appeared frequently and rushed to the hot search. What does "white lung" mean? What kind of pneumonia can develop into white lung? What happened to the pneumonia after turning covi-negative? In response to the concerns of netizens, "News 1+1" connected experts to interpret.

What is "white lung"?

Does having pneumonia mean "white lung"?

Recently, the National Health Commission responded to the phenomenon of "white lungs" found in covid patients. Jiao Yahui, director of the Department of Medical Affairs of the National Health Commission, said that generally speaking, the inflammation of the lungs is relatively serious, and when there is a lot of exudation, that is, the area of ​​the white image area reaches 70%-80%, it is known among medical workers verbally as "white lung".

News (7)

National Health Commission: "White lung" is not related to the Wuhan strain and vaccination

The so-called "white lung" that appears now has nothing to do with the original strain and vaccination. The existing mature expert consensus and treatment plan are mainly prone position ventilation and oxygen therapy, and under strengthening the etiological treatment of the primary disease, a considerable number of the patients can get better from "white lung".

What happened to the symptoms of pneumonia after turning covi-negative?

Li Tong, Chief Physician of the Department of Infectious Diseases of Beijing You'an Hospital, once introduced that many people still have symptoms of cough and chest tightness two weeks after being infected with the covid virus. When they go to the hospital for examination and find pneumonia, there are two situations:

Some people had pneumonia related to covid before but they did not find it because they did not do CT. For young people with normal immunity, they can recover from light pneumonia.

The other part is that after being infected with covi, the defense ability of the respiratory tract is reduced, or due to lack of rest, the immune system is weakened and secondary to bacterial infection. In this case, symptoms of chest tightness, shortness of breath, aggravated cough, and even fever may appear after 7 to 10 days.

Through routine blood tests and chest CT scans, and the doctor's comprehensive judgment, if the original pneumonia is in the recovery period, you can continue to rest without treatment. If it is due to a secondary bacterial infection, the patient needs to be treated with antibiotics. Most people will recover soon. So do not worry too much.

Compared with the original strain, is the proportion of clinical pneumonia caused by Omicron lower?

Ma Xiaochun, Director of the Department of Critical Care Medicine at the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, said that after the emergence of the Omicron strain, the overall pneumonia rate was significantly lower than that of the original strain. The cases encountered before Delta, and including the original strain, had a higher overall incidence of pneumonia, and many patients could not stop the evolution of the disease with current intervention methods. In general, most patients infected with the Omicron strain can stop their disease progression.

News (7)

Infection caused by Omicron causes relatively mild lung lesions but some high-risk groups and vulnerable groups may develop lung lesions

He Yingli, Director of the Department of Infectious Diseases, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, said that the infection caused by Omicron causes relatively mild lung lesions but some high-risk groups and vulnerable groups may develop lung lesions. Before the covid epidemic, some patients with "white lung" were treated every year. Old coronaviruses may also cause "white lung". Many patients can recover well after treatment.

News (8)

Elderly pneumonia is caused by covi and it can be due to other factors

Li Tong once introduced that some time ago, the patients were mainly young people, and now the peak of infection among the elderly has begun to appear. Many of these elderly people have underlying diseases. They are prone to develop pneumonia after infection, and usually about a week after the onset, the symptoms are more obvious and require hospitalization. Pneumonia can occur due to several factors:

One is that they are relatively old. Most of the severe cases are elderly people over 80 years old.

News (9)

Lung lesions are not typical of viral pneumonia if there is bacterial infection

Second, the vast majority of patients have underlying diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. There are also some people who are combined with bacterial infection in the later stage, and the lung lesions are not typical viral pneumonia, but also mixed with bacterial pneumonia.

News (10)

Symptoms of covid in the elderly from the early stage to the fifth day after infection, hypoxia develops if these symptoms are ignored by one week

The immunity of the elderly is relatively poor, especially those who have not been vaccinated. The early symptoms are also itchy throat, dry cough, and fever. The fever temperature may not be as high as that of young people, and the temperature peak will come down after three or four days.

However, in the elderly, it is usually on the fourth or fifth day that the virus reaches the lungs and develops pneumonia. At this time, some elderly people will show chest tightness and shortness of breath, especially after activities. If the symptoms are ignored, the elderly will experience obvious hypoxia on the sixth or seventh day, and even feel short of breath and oppressed when sitting quietly.

The doctor reminded that on the fourth or fifth day after infection, observe the elderly for shortness of breath, dizziness after activities, memory loss, sleepiness, confusion, and unsteady walking. If you have asthma, seek medical attention immediately.

News (11) to (23) /  Reporters : Shen Shaotie, Tian Doudou, He Linping, Dou Hanyang, Wang Mingfeng, Jiang Hongbing, Gong Shijian, Ju Yunpeng, Xin Yang, Zhang Yikai, Shen Zhilin / Editor : Zhang Ziyi / Source : People's Daily via China News Network / http://www.chinanews.com.cn/sh/2023/01-03/9926522.shtml

News (11)

Efforts to ensure the treatment of critically ill patients

At present, the number of people infected with covid is increasing in various places. Is the incidence of severe illness high? How is the treatment? How to prevent severe illness? The reporters interviewed relevant experts.

Is the probability of severe illness caused by covid virus high?

"At this stage, the infected people are mainly mild, some are common, and a small number of elderly people and those with serious underlying diseases develop into severe and critical illness." Li Lanjuan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, analyzed that the current epidemic strain in CCP China is Omicron mutant strain, because the strain is highly contagious and has a huge population base, the number of infected people is relatively large. The pathogenicity of the Omicron mutant strain was significantly lower than that of the original strain and the Delta strain, and most of the infected people were mild and asymptomatic. In mild cases, the lung images are normal and there is no manifestation of pneumonia. The main symptoms are fever, fatigue, body aches, sore throat, cough and other upper respiratory symptoms. Some patients are accompanied by diarrhoea and other gastrointestinal symptoms. Most people's body temperature can return to normal in 3 to 5 days, and other symptoms gradually improve.

News (12)

Severe covid only accounts up to 4% of infected patients in Beijing hospitals

"Severe and critical illnesses account for 3% to 4% of infected patients currently admitted to designated hospitals in Beijing." Tong Zhaohui, Vice President of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University, who is in charge of the treatment of severe and critically ill patients in two designated hospitals in Beijing, said. According to Tong Zhaohui, most of the patients who come to see the doctor are ordinary.

News (13)

10% of symptomatic patients need to be admitted to Tianfu hospital for treatment

According to Kang Yan, president of West China Tianfu Hospital of Sichuan University, in the past three weeks, a total of 46 critically ill patients have been admitted to the ICU of Tianfu Hospital, accounting for about 1% of symptomatic infections. From the perspective of medical visits, there are about 450 patients who visit the fever clinic every day recently, and about 10% of the symptomatic infected patients need to be admitted to the hospital for treatment.

News (14)

Zhang Wenhong: Huge number of severe covid cases cannot be ignored

"Although the pathogenicity of the Omicron mutant strain has decreased, the absolute number of severe cases cannot be ignored because of the large number of infected people." Zhang Wenhong, director of the Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, said that in cities like Shanghai, the elderly and those with the absolute number of vulnerable people with basic diseases is not small. Even if the proportion of infections becoming severe is very low, it will put a lot of pressure on the hospital's critical resources.

News (15)

Ma Xiaochun: White lung appears when the proportion of lung loss is high, not when there is pneumonia, and white lung patients are critically ill covid patients

The so-called "white lung" is one of the manifestations of severe pneumonia. Ma Xiaochun, director of the Department of Critical Care Medicine at the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, said that severe pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus infection mainly manifests as acute respiratory failure. From the CT image, when the proportion of lung loss is high, it will appear as white lung, not as long as there is pneumonia, it is white lung. Patients with white lung are often critically ill patients, and these people account for a very small proportion of all covid patients.

News (16)

The factors that lead to severe pneumonia while the elderly, patients with underlying diseases and heavy smokers are more likely to develop critical illness after contracting from covid

The factors that lead to severe pneumonia and white lungs are not just infection with covi. He Yingli, director of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, said that in the past, the hospital would treat some white lung patients. Infection with influenza virus, bacteria, mycoplasma and other pathogens in winter may lead to severe pneumonia. Elderly people, patients with underlying diseases, and heavy smokers are more likely to develop severe or even critical illness after being infected with covi (Yingli hints in this case, Omicron).

Yu Kaijiang, vice president of Harbin Medical University and director of the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, said that elderly people over 65 years old and those with basic diseases such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, chronic lung diseases, diabetes, chronic liver and kidney diseases, immunocompromised patients and heavy smokers are high-risk groups for severe pneumonia.

Can severe patients receive effective treatment?

Over the past three years, in the process of treating severe and critically ill covid patients, CCP China has accumulated a lot of experience and treatment resources, and has also trained a large number of intensive care teams with strong combat effectiveness.

Tong Zhaohui said that at present, the National Health Commission's treatment plan has been updated to the ninth edition. For severe and critically ill patients, there are relatively complete plans from prevention to treatment, including the treatment plan of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine. After three years of clinical testing, it has been very good. It is mature and can quickly and effectively treat critically ill patients. During the past three years, the doctors in the critical care, respiratory, and infection departments of various hospitals have accumulated relatively good experience in actual clinical treatment.

News (17)

Different treatments for covid patients at different stages should be rational and strengthened

Zhong Ming, director of the Department of Critical Care Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, introduced that for the treatment of severe and critically ill covid patients, early antiviral treatment should be adopted first, such as the use of some small molecule antiviral drugs, and the rational use of glucocorticoids according to the needs of the disease. For patients with respiratory failure, some respiratory support equipment, such as ventilators, high-flow oxygen therapy and ECMO, is used to provide respiratory support for patients. Strengthen symptomatic treatment, such as fluid rehydration for shock patients, use of vasoactive drugs, and nutritional support at the same time.

News (18)

Synergising TCM and Western medicine for severe and critical covid cases has achieved good results

Traditional Chinese medicine actively participates in the treatment of severe and critical illnesses. Wu Wei, a famous Chinese medicine doctor in Guangdong Province and director of the Department of Internal Medicine of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said that since the outbreak of the epidemic, Chinese medicine has shown conclusive clinical efficacy and unique advantages. The "three prescriptions and three medicines" summed up in CCP China and the experience of traditional Chinese medicine and the combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine in various places show that the treatment of light and common diseases with traditional Chinese medicine alone is effective, and can prevent the transformation to severe. The synergistic treatment of traditional Chinese and Western medicine for severe and critical cases has also achieved good results.

News (19)

Possible pulmonary fibrosis for patients with underlying diseases after recovery from covid

According to Li Lanjuan, judging from the current treatment of clinical cases, most patients have a good prognosis, and a very small number of patients with underlying diseases may have pulmonary fibrosis after recovery. To achieve "early detection and early treatment", the vast majority of patients will not leave sequelae.

According to Ma Xiaochun, patients can receive standardized treatment in the ICU, and the prognosis of most patients is good, except for some very elderly patients with serious underlying diseases. According to the 3-year clinical observation, the prognosis of the patient is good in terms of lung function and imaging, and there are very few cases of residual obvious damage in the lungs.

"At present, the overall bed resources and equipment resources in the country can meet the treatment needs of critically ill patients." Jiao Yahui, director of the Department of Medical Affairs of the National Health Commission, said that the total number of intensive care beds in the country is 181,000, with an average of 12.8 for 100,000 people. The number of intensive care beds in tertiary medical institutions is 133,400, and the number of convertible ICU beds is 104,800. The utilization rate of intensive care beds in medical institutions above second level fluctuates around 50% on average.

News (20)

China's focus of work has shifted to "health protection and severe disease prevention"

At present, CCP China's epidemic prevention and control has entered a new stage, and the focus of work has shifted from "infection prevention" to "health protection and severe disease prevention". How can the elderly and chronically ill patients protect themselves, and how to avoid severe illness once they are infected with covid?

The key to dealing with severe illness is prevention. Li Yimin, Secretary of the Party Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, said that vulnerable groups such as the elderly and patients with underlying diseases are high-risk groups for severe illness. This group of people should strengthen prevention, treat and control basic diseases well, achieve regular medication, reasonable diet, moderate exercise, and maintain a good attitude.

News (21)

Zhang Wenhong: Ensure high intake of high-quality protein for the elderly, diversify nutrition, balance diet to enhance immunity

Zhang Wenhong said that nutrition is the basis for treating infected people, which cannot be overemphasized. We appeal to the elderly in nursing homes and homes to do everything possible to ensure the intake of high-quality protein for the elderly, to achieve nutritional diversification, to maintain a balance of vegetables and carbohydrates, and to enhance the resistance of the elderly themselves.

Vulnerable groups should take good personal protection. Zhang Lina, Director of the Department of Critical Care Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, advises trying to avoid going to crowded places, especially closed places. Wear a mask when going out, preferably an N95 mask, and strengthen hand hygiene. When in contact with people, maintain a safe social distance of "one metre line". If people who live together are infected, they should also take isolation measures, wear masks, live in a single room, do not share meals, and do not share bathrooms if possible.

Zhong Ming introduced that after full vaccination, the severe disease rate and mortality rate of the elderly have dropped significantly. In clinical treatment, it has been found that people who have been vaccinated throughout the course have a higher probability of recovery than those who have not been vaccinated at all and who have not been vaccinated at all.

Once the elderly at home are infected with covid, what signs should they seek medical treatment? Cheng Zhenshun, director of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, said that after the elderly are infected, if they have a fever for too long, have dyspnea, chest tightness, monitor blood oxygen saturation drops, and fall below 93, they should go to the hospital in time. Early warning, early detection, and early treatment can effectively control the development of the disease and reduce the occurrence of severe diseases.

News (22)

Caregivers should monitor the health of the elderly as the onset of pneumonia in the elderly is relately hidden and has no obvious symptoms. Look out for loss of appetite, sleepiness, lack of energy after infection

It is very important for family members or caregivers to do a good job in monitoring the health of the elderly. Tong Zhaohui said that the onset of pneumonia in the elderly is relatively hidden and has no obvious symptoms, which means that the elderly cannot be observed according to the usual symptoms of young people such as pneumonia, fever, cough and sputum. If the elderly suffer from loss of appetite, sleepiness, and lack of energy after infection, the condition may worsen. At this time, family members or accompanying staff should carefully check whether the elderly's breathing rate is accelerated, whether he is panting, and whether he has symptoms such as chest tightness. If the answer is yes, the elderly should be sent to the hospital in time to prevent the condition from getting worse.

News (23)

Tong Zhaohui suggests setting up oxygen therapy equipment at home when covid, cold, flu and bacterial infections thrive at the same time

"Combined with the novel coronavirus infection in the cold season, patients with chronic respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchiectasis are more likely to get sick, and their condition may aggravate, and they may develop pneumonia." Tong Zhaohui said that if such patients have acute exacerbations and need oxygen inhalation, it is recommended to inhale oxygen. Set up oxygen therapy equipment at home. To insist on medication, it is best not to go out when the weather is cold, which will help reduce the number of outbreaks. COVID-19, colds, flu, and bacterial infections can all lead to exacerbation of COPD. If you have symptoms of fever and pneumonia, you should be hospitalized in time to prevent severe pneumonia.

News (24)

XBB.1.5 is more likely to invade the digestive system? Expert: Advice on hoarding medicines spread online is not entirely scientific

Reporters : Cai Minjie, Jian Wenyang / Editor : Yu Xiao / http://www.chinanews.com.cn/sh/2023/01-02/9925960.shtml

Recently, news spread on the Internet suggesting that everyone stock up on some montmorillonite powder. This kind of commonly used digestive medicine rushed into the hot search, and at the same time, it was also out of stock. In this regard, Chen Yonghe, deputy chief physician of gastric surgery at the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, and Lian Lei, director of gastric surgery, said on 1 January 2023 that the advice on stockpiling medicine given in the article is not completely scientific.

Recently, a piece of "Currently the top virus strain in foreign countries is XBB1.5. This thing mainly targets cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and diarrhea. Therefore, if possible, please prepare montmorillonite powder and rehydration salts (or buy two boxes of electrolyte drinks such as Pocari), intestinal health, probiotics, various lactic acid bacteria tablets, and a box of norfloxacin.” The screenshots were circulated in the circle of friends.

According to reports, there are two "B" in the XBB strain, which means the recombinant strain of BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75. It can be understood that these two virus strains infected a certain person at the same time, and then in this person's body completed the recombination. Therefore, it naturally belongs to the strain of the Omicron series of covi. There is no authoritative information that XBB.1.5 is more dangerous than past strains, nor is there evidence that XBB.1.5 causes more severe diarrhoea.

Chen Yonghe said that montmorillonite powder is a kind of powdered drug. After oral administration with water, it can cover the mucous membrane of the digestive tract, which can fix and inhibit the viruses, bacteria and the toxins produced in the digestive tract. It is indeed a good choice for gastroenteritis and diarrhoea caused by viruses, and it can be used safely by children and pregnant women.

"However, it must be noted that it is not necessary to use it if it is simply an increase in the number of bowel movements. If it is used casually, it may cause constipation." Chen Yonghe said that if the diarrhoea is too severe and symptoms such as general weakness and collapse have occurred, then electrolyte disorders may have occurred, and the effect of simply taking montmorillonite powder is not satisfactory, so you must seek medical attention in time.

Norfloxacin is an antibacterial drug against bacterial infections, especially a commonly used drug for the treatment of enteritis and dysentery. For viruses, norfloxacin has no direct killing effect.

As for electrolyte drinks, Chen Yonghe said that during diarrhea, the body will lose a large amount of electrolytes, such as potassium ions and sodium ions. Oral electrolyte drinks are indeed beneficial to replenish lost electrolytes and slow down the condition. However, not all electrolyte drinks can be used to treat diarrhoea. In order to improve the taste, some merchants will add excessive glucose and additives to the electrolyte drink, which will cause the osmotic pressure of the liquid to be too high. Drinking hypertonic drinks in the case of diarrhoea will even aggravate the exudation of the intestinal mucosa, and then aggravate the condition.

Chen Yonghe said that therefore, first of all, one should not be overly afraid of the XBB strain. If the above symptoms appear, seek medical attention in time, and scientific and rational medication is the right way.

News (25) to (28) / Reporter : Wei Xianghui / Editor : Huang Yuhan / https://www.chinanews.com.cn/sh/2023/01-03/9926369.shtml

News (25)

How much impact does XBB.1.5 have on China? Expert explanation

Recently, the XBB.1.5 branch of the Omicron subtype has attracted widespread attention. At present, Shanghai has discovered the XBB.1.5 strain in the monitoring of imported cases abroad.

On 2 January 2023, according to Xinmin Evening News, in response to Shanghai citizens’ concerns about the introduction of BQ. 1 and XBB strains were only detected in a very small number of quarantined persons entering the country, and have not yet caused local transmission in society.

Relevant experts told Chinanews.com that there is no need to worry too much about the pathogenicity of XBB.1.5 and the risk of secondary infection.
Image : Fever sentinels in some communities in Shanghai during the New Year's Day holiday are open to facilitate citizens to seek medical treatment (Photo by China News Agency reporter Yin Liqin)

News (26)

XBB.1.5 may become the main virus strain in the world in a short time

According to The Paper, the Global Initiative to Share All Influenza Data (GISAID) database added 369 new sequencing results of covi in China, uploaded by a joint research team led by Chen Saijuan from Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and Fan Xiaohong from Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center Tackling team.

These samples came from patients with COVID-19 in Shanghai. They were randomly collected from 23 November to 22 December 2022. Gene sequencing confirmed 30 known subtypes of Omicron, and no new variants of covi have been found yet. In addition, among the 25 XBB families monitored in Shanghai this time, there were 3 cases of XBB.1.5, which were also imported cases from abroad and did not cause local transmission.

The researchers said that the virus strains in patients imported from abroad are relatively complex, and most of them were detected for the first time in China. The current sequencing results show that there are many new virus strains imported from abroad, and routine detection of virus strains is still needed to provide a basis for subsequent scientific prevention and control.

According to reports, domestic and foreign experts predict that XBB.1.5 will become the main virus strain in the world in a short period of time, and it needs to be closely watched. Another important reason is that the human ACE2 binding affinity of XBB.1.5 is almost equivalent to that of BA.2.75, which may allow XBB.1.5 to acquire more mutations like BA.2.75 in the future. It is not going to evolve anytime soon.

Image : Medical staff from the Songjiang Branch of Shanghai First People's Hospital conduct pre-examination for patients. Photo by Yin Liqin

News (27)

Jin Dongyan: XBB.1.5's immune escape ability has slightly weakened though it is more likely to infect the human body

According to media reports, previously, the U.S. CDC released data on 30 December 2022, which estimated that 40.5% of covi (short synonym for novel coronavirus, CCP virus) infections in the U.S. that week were caused by the XBB.1.5 strain. Scientists also said that due to its extremely high "immune escape" ability, XBB.1.5 has replaced BQ.1.1 and BQ.1 as the number one epidemic strain in the United States.

Studies have shown that the immune escape ability of XBB.1.5 is comparable to that of XBB.1, but the key mutation F486P makes it have a higher human ACE2 receptor binding affinity-ACE2 can be regarded as the "gateway" for the new coronavirus to enter human cells, This means that XBB.1.5 is more likely to infect the human body.

In this regard, Jin Dongyan, a professor at the School of Biomedical Sciences of the University of Hong Kong and an expert in virology, introduced to Chinanews.com that while F486P slightly increased its ability to bind to ACE2 receptors, its immune escape ability was also slightly weakened. This again shows that replication infection and immune escape are linked. The change now is genetic drift, that is, the phenomenon of occasional changes that cause the gene frequency of the next generation to be different from that of the current generation, without actually moving too far from the baseline.

Jin Dongyan said that XBB.1.5 has not caused significant changes in the number of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths in the United States so far, so there is no need to worry too much about its pathogenicity and the risk of secondary infection. "Except for the enhanced immune escape ability to a certain extent, the changes in other aspects are relatively small." He said.

Image : During the New Year's Day holiday, grassroots medical staff are still fighting on the front line. Photo by China News Agency reporter Yin Liqin


News (28)

Medical institutions can cope with new strains

On 1 January 2023, according to CCTV's "Face to Face" program, in early December 2022, many cities began to experience a peak of covi infections, and the number of infected patients soared. Hospital fever clinics were the first to come under pressure.

Regarding the question of whether XBB.1.5 will cause a new round of infection peaks in mainland China, Professor Zhang Jiming, deputy director of the Infectious Diseases Department of Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University, responded to Chinanews.com: "There is no need to worry, it is a bit exaggerated."

Zhang Jiming said that the new strains currently monitored still belong to the Omicron subtype and are still respiratory viruses, that is, they mainly infect the respiratory tract, and their pathogenicity has not increased. At the same time, combined with the experience of dealing with the first wave of infection peaks, medical resources can cope.

Jin Dongyan also said that the emergence of XBB.1.5 in the United States has not changed the basic trend of covid entering the endemic epidemic in the United States. In his view, there is no soil for a tsunami-like covid outbreak in the United States at present. XBB.1.5 has not changed this soil, and it has not caused a major outbreak similar to BA.2 at the beginning of the year in the United States. 

News (29)

Tighten up Chinese immigrant entries! Passengers transiting between Hong Kong and Macau will also need to report covi-negative results from 6 January 2023
  
Reporter : Wu Liangyi / https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/life/breakingnews/4173379 /   Image :  Starting from the 6th of this month, passengers departing from China and entering Taiwan via Hong Kong and Macau must have a PCR test report within 48 hours before boarding the flight, or a rapid antigen screening test report within 24 hours. (Provided by Command Center)
本月6日起,自中國啟程經港澳轉機入境台灣的旅客須持有啟程地搭機前48小時內PCR檢驗報告、或24小時內抗原快篩檢驗報告。(指揮中心提供)

The Wuhan pneumonia (covid, novel coronavirus pneumonia, COVID-19) outbreak in the Republic of China (Taiwan) has caused a major outbreak. In addition to prohibiting the entry of Chinese tourists into Taiwan, and starting from New Year's Day, Chinese immigrants will be required to perform PCR. The Central Epidemic Command Center announced on 2 January 2023 new measures. Starting from the 6th of this month, passengers departing from China and entering Taiwan via Hong Kong and Macau must have a PCR test report within 48 hours before boarding the flight, or a rapid antigen screening test report within 24 hours.

The domestic epidemic situation in China is severe. Except that passengers on direct flights from CCP China entering the Republic of China must cooperate with the airport saliva PCR test, a new system will start from 6 to 31 January 2023 (the date of scheduled flight arrival in Taiwan). The command center explained that the Hong Kong and Macau governments have adopted relevant epidemic prevention regulations for passengers entering from China. The Hong Kong government stipulates that passengers entering from China must have a PCR test report within 48 hours before boarding or a rapid antigen screening test report within 24 hours; Transit passengers departing from China must comply with the epidemic prevention regulations of the destination country. The Macau government stipulates that passengers entering from China must have a PCR test report within 72 hours before boarding the flight.

The command center pointed out that the local epidemic situation in China is severe, and the epidemic situation in various places continues to rise, and the number of infections and severe cases of the elderly has increased; the evaluation data by local experts also shows that the epidemic mainly affects rural areas and small and medium-sized cities and towns during the period from New Year's Day to the Spring Festival. Medical resources are relatively scarce, and the elderly and vulnerable groups have a large population. During the Spring Festival travel season, urban and rural population mobility will have a major impact on the epidemic situation. It is expected that the flow of people before and after the Spring Festival will increase the epidemic situation, and the overall epidemic situation may last for more than 3 months.

The command center stated that currently the prevailing virus strains in China are dominated by Omicron BA.5.2 and BF.7 mutant strains. The movement of people may increase the chance of virus strain mutation. The command center will continue to strengthen the monitoring of overseas case mutant strains to assess the occurrence of new mutant strains, risks and the impact of the epidemic in the Republic of China.

News (30)

The CCP Military Daily rarely reveals military secrets, and there are strange phenomena of "equipment waiting for others"

Reporter : Tang Zheng / Editor : Li Quan / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2023/01/03/a103615535.html

The Chinese Communist Navy has accelerated its shipbuilding in recent years in an attempt to reverse its naval combat power or challenge the United States. A few days ago, the CCP Military Daily rarely admitted that due to the rapid update of warship equipment, the training of officers and soldiers could not keep up with the service of new ships, and strange phenomena such as "equipment and others" appeared.

The CCP's "Liberation Army Daily" published an article on 26 December 2022, stating that Wang Yubing, the deputy captain of the 056A missile frigate "Zhangye Ship" of the eleventh detachment of naval frigates in the northern theater, passed the assessment and became the captain. However, the report mentioned that Wang Yubing has not been able to complete the full training assessment due to the ship's entering the factory for repairs and mission conflicts.

According to the report, in recent years, due to the detachment's "continuous commissioning and launching of new ships, and the gradual retirement of old ships", the problem of "equipment and other talents" has gradually emerged. It is difficult to systematically organize the training of some "commanders and key trumpeters" of new ships, and it is difficult to organize the full training assessment as scheduled.

According to reports, Wang Yubing is just one of several naval officers whose training has been postponed. Some officers and soldiers in the Chinese Communist Navy were delayed in their promotion due to lack of time for training.

This report originally touted how the CCP overcame difficulties to train officers and soldiers, but it also exposed its shortcomings.

The South China Morning Post reported on 2 January 2023 (link) that the vice-captain of a warship had yet to complete a key training test, in a rare indirect acknowledgment that it lacked highly skilled troops. It also highlights the Navy's lack of high-tech expertise, preventing many cutting-edge weapons from being used to their full potential.

The report quoted Song Zhongping, a former instructor of the Chinese Communist Army, as saying that naval personnel on decommissioned ships must receive training before they can operate new ships with higher levels of automation and informatization.

Some veterans must be trained like recruits to prepare them for new roles, such as commanders and key operators of more modern warships, Song Zhongping said.

Ni Lexiong, an expert on military issues in Shanghai, said that for a modern navy, it is necessary to understand and master the skills of operating drones and cooperating with other forces on the ground and in the air.

Ni Lexiong said that the shortage of talents in the CCP's military is natural, because training has struggled to keep pace with the rapid modernization of the military in recent years.

In recent years, the CCP has boasted that its warship manufacturing is like "dumplings" but there is a serious shortage of corresponding naval officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers. New personnel and new equipment are completely strangers to each other.

In this regard, Taiwan’s retired major general Bei Chen stated in Sanli News’ “94 VIP Complaints” program that it will take 50 years to build a mature navy from scratch. China has long been a land-based army. The navy has only begun to develop rapidly in the past 20 years, resulting in the speed of building ships faster than the speed of training personnel, which is a disaster for the Communist Army.

Yu Beichen compared that driving a Maserati (a famous Italian car) as soon as he got his driver’s license, it is nice to take pictures and check in, but it may be a disaster on the road. If you want to operate an aircraft carrier, you must operate a submarine before you have adapted to the operation of a surface ship."

Yu Beichen said that whether the speed of personnel training has not kept up, or the training intensity is not enough to keep up, the result is that "dumplings are poured too fast, and the water is taken out before it is boiled, and of course you will have diarrhoea."

Xi Jinping promoted the military reform in 2015, hoping that the Chinese Communist Party's military can project military power overseas. It is necessary to break the traditional pattern of the army as the core and require all military services to work together.

In September 2022, a report by the National Defense University of the United States showed that after an in-depth study of the data of more than 300 senior CCP officers in the five major military services of the CCP’s land, sea, air, rocket and strategic support in the past six years, it was found that they did not “cross-train" with practical experience. This lack of cross-training is the Achilles' heel of the Chinese military. This is in stark contrast to the U.S. military, which regularly cross-trains.







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