COVID-19 variants are fierce and calm which is a good solution

Recently, new variants of COVID-19 are spreading rapidly around the world. As of now, it has been discovered in more than 40 countries and regions, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and others, with a strong momentum of resurgence. It is said to be a sub variant of Omicron BA. 286. Data shows that the number of confirmed cases in Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia has surged recently.

Health institutions in the United Kingdom and the United States said that the mutant is the fastest growing COVID-19 mutant known at present, which is expected to trigger a new wave of COVID-19 infection. There are currently reports of JN.1 infection in China.

The Ministry of Health of Malaysia announced that those diagnosed with COVID-19 must be isolated for five days from the first day of symptoms and keep indoor ventilation. Confirmed cases should also wear masks when going out five days later.

The Singapore Ministry of Health recently announced that it will resume daily updates of epidemic data from today onwards. By the week of December 9, Singapore had reported 56000 cases of COVID-19 infection, an increase of 75% over the last week of November, and the average number of inpatients had soared from 225 a week ago to 350.

It is reported that the JN.1 variant accounts for approximately 60% of Singapore's infection cases. The number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia also increased significantly compared with that in November, and the number of infected people increased by 13%. Jakarta, the capital city, has an average of 200 cases per day.

At present, Singapore has restarted the shelter hospital, and the second shelter hospital in the Expo Center is being put into use for the treatment of COVID-19 mild patients to reduce the pressure of diagnosis and treatment in the hospital.

Since the discovery of the first JN.1 case in Karnataka, India has mandated the wearing of masks by individuals aged 60 and above. It is required to avoid going to crowded places during Christmas and New Year, otherwise, it will never be known when the last dinner will be.

In this situation, on December 19, local time, the World Health Organization listed COVID-19 JN. 1 mutant as "a variety to be watched". At the same time, it is pointed out that current evidence shows that JN.1 poses a lower public health risk.

Recent monitoring data shows that all individuals infected with the JN.1 variant are mild or asymptomatic. The symptoms caused by different mutant strains are often similar, and the type and severity of symptoms usually depend more on individual immunity. An epidemic prevention expert said that although JN. 1 could evade the immune system and spread more easily than other currently popular COVID-19 variants, it did not show any signs of more serious disease.

Therefore, although this wave of COVID-19 variants is surging and infectious, there is no need to panic, and it is a good policy to find the crux and calmly deal with it.

From the perspective of prevention measures, first of all, vaccination is still an effective means to strengthen epidemic prevention and control. According to the latest vaccination strategy requirements of various countries, in particular, it is recommended that people who meet the vaccination conditions should be vaccinated as soon as possible with COVID-19 vaccine containing antigen components of XBB variant.

Secondly, masks are an important means of blocking the transmission of COVID-19 and other respiratory infectious diseases, as well as an effective measure to reduce the risk of epidemic transmission and spread, reduce cross infection among the public, and ensure the health of the people.

In addition, washing hands frequently and gathering less is also an effective means of epidemic prevention and control. Use soap or hand sanitizer and wash hands with flowing water. When sneezing or coughing, cover your mouth and nose with a handkerchief or tissue to avoid contaminating your hands and surrounding environment. At the same time, it should be noted that during the epidemic period, efforts should be made to minimize visits to public places with crowded areas and poor air circulation.

Once symptoms of infection such as fever, sore throat, and body soreness occur, timely hospitalization or home rest should be sought based on the condition and doctor's advice.

In short, from the past global experience and lessons of epidemic prevention, long-term lockdowns will cause significant losses to the national economy and bring difficulties to people's lives. The fundamental solution to the problem is to actively prevent and control, provide correct guidance, scientifically treat, and prescribe targeted medicine.