Experts Predict Low-level Outbreak During Upcoming Eight-day Holidays

By Zhang Yuying and Yu Xi

Sep 27, 2023 08:30 PM

A man registers his information to get China's first domestic mRNA vaccine for COVID-19 in Shijiazhuang, North China's Hebei Province, where the vaccine was initially put into use on May 14, 2023. Photo: Hebei Daily

With the recent rise in the number of pharyngitis patients and fever clinic visits, experts noted that the public should take precautions, as the large increase in holiday travel may lead to a low-level outbreak during the upcoming eight-day Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays.

Several infectious disease and pediatric doctors from multiple hospitals have stated that there has been an upward trend in the number of patients seeking treatment at fever clinics recently. The topic of infectious pharyngitis has also become a hot search term on social media platforms, attracting a lot of attention and discussion.

According to the center for disease control and prevention in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, patients seeking treatment at fever clinics mainly have respiratory tract infections, as there has been a simultaneous outbreak of viral and bacterial infections, said Peng Jie, director of the diagnostic and treatment center for difficult infections at Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University.

Peng added that the majority of patients are infected with either the novel coronavirus or the influenza virus, primarily the influenza A (H1N1) virus.

Peng said the increase in the number of COVID-19 patients is likely related to the rising prevalence of the EG.5 coronavirus variant. Currently, most patients have mild symptoms. This is because the pathogenicity of the EG.5 variant has not been enhanced, and human immune memory can tamper the virulence of the strain.

Although the probability of co-infection with coronavirus and influenza is very low, experts have warned that during Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, there will be a significant increase in population mobility, so the country may see a low-level wave-like spread.

In order to prevent respiratory infections during the autumn and winter seasons, including COVID-19 and influenza infections, it is necessary for people to get vaccinated as soon as possible, Lu Hongzhou, head of the Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Once infected, it is important to promptly diagnose and treat the disease with antiviral drugs, Lu said. "It is also crucial to prioritize vaccination for elderly cancer patients, children, and pregnant women," he said.

A team including members from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has recently developed a new type of novel influenza/COVID-19 hybrid subunit vaccine, which can provide effective protection against both infections, the Beijing Daily reported on Monday.

With the current possibility of simultaneous influenza and COVID-19 outbreaks, the vaccine has been developed in order to reduce the vaccination process and lower costs, which also opens a new path for the research and development of a new generation of respiratory pathogen vaccines, according to media reports.