Fresh COVID-19 cases on expected lines

In recent days many people have been posting their COVID-19 test results online to indicate that they are positive, triggering worries of a fresh wave of the pandemic, leading many to wonder if they should cancel their travel plans during the upcoming five-day May Day holiday.

It is good for people to be alert, but there is no need to worry too much. In fact, during the huge wave of the pandemic toward the end of 2022, medical experts had predicted there would be another wave around six months later, as the immunity people gained at that time would weaken with time.

And the wave seems to have kept its date with that prediction. However, the experts had also said that this wave would be much weaker than the previous one, largely because of the herd immunity that has been gained. Data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention show the positive rate from test results was 1.7 percent on April 20 compared with the 29.2 percent on Dec 25.

That's a major drop, and it is unlikely the number of positive cases will return to the levels at the end of 2022.

The center also found that from Dec 1, 2022, to April 20 a total of 42 infections of the XBB1.16 variant, a variant that was active in India, were detected in China. The situation highlights the need to take precautions against the global spread of the new variants and their possible entry into China, but recording 42 cases in almost six months is not a major threat. In a nutshell, it is good to be cautious and take precautionary measures.