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[Seattle1]

US may restrict travel from China over lack of Covid transparency

The Biden administration is eyeing new requirements on international travelers arriving from China, such as mandatory testing upon arrival and continued surveillance.

www.dailymail.co.uk

12/28/22

The US will require all incoming travelers from China to submit proof of a negative Covid test before entering the nation starting January 5, officials announced today.

It comes amid fears rampant spread of the virus in China could have led to the formation of a new, more dangerous, strain of the virus. The country as reportedly suffered an explosion of Covid cases in recent weeks after abruptly ending its draconian 'zero-Covid policy'.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has expressed concerns about the limited information that has come from China in the wake of this explosion.

 

[Seattle1]

US to require travelers from China to show negative Covid-19 test result before flight | CNN Politics

The United States will require all travelers from China to show a negative Covid-19 test result before flying to the country as Beijing's rapid easing of Covid-19 restrictions leads to a surge in cases.

www.cnn.com

 

[Seattle1]

U.S. will require airline passengers traveling from China to test negative for Covid

The requirements, which apply regardless of nationality and vaccination status, start Jan. 5.

www.cnbc.com

 

[Seattle1]

Milan Reports 50% of Passengers on China Flights Have Covid

Italian health authorities will begin testing all arrivals from China for Covid after almost half of the passengers on two flights to Milan were found to have the virus.

www.bloomberg.com

 

[Seattle1]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2022/12/27/videos-severe-china-covid/

U.S. to impose new coronavirus testing requirements for travelers from China​

The decision to require testing starting Jan. 5 is based in part on concerns about the lack of data coming out of China, which is in the process of lifting its stringent zero-covid policies.

By Frances Stead Sellers and Bryan Pietsch36 minutes ago

 

[Seattle1]

COVID pressures China's hospitals as countries mandate tests for travellers

Chinese hospitals and funeral homes were under intense pressure on Wednesday as a surging COVID-19 wave drained resources, while the scale of the outbreak and doubts over official data prompted some countries to enact new travel rules on Chinese visitors.

www.reuters.com

CHENGDU, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Chinese hospitals and funeral homes were under intense pressure on Wednesday as a surging COVID-19 wave drained resources, while the scale of the outbreak and doubts over official data prompted some countries to enact new travel rules on Chinese visitors.

In an abrupt change of policy, China this month began dismantling the world's strictest COVID regime of lockdowns and extensive testing, putting its battered economy on course for a complete re-opening next year.


The lifting of restrictions, following widespread protests against them, means COVID is spreading largely unchecked and likely infecting millions of people a day, according to some international health experts.

Late on Wednesday, the United States became the fifth country after India, Italy, Japan and Taiwan to say it would require COVID tests for travellers from China.

The speed at which China, the last major country in the world moving towards treating the virus as endemic, has scrapped COVID rules has left its fragile health system overwhelmed.

 

[Seattle1]

https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/27/china/china-2022-zero-covid-intl-hnk-mic/index.html

The chaos and disarray is a stark contrast to the start of the year, when Beijing showcased the success of its Covid containment measures by keeping the coronavirus largely at bay from the Winter Olympics.

Over the span of a year, Xi’s hallmark pandemic policy has turned from a source of legitimacy for the ruling Communist Party into a spiraling crisis that threatens to undermine it.

As an unprecedented wave of infections – and deaths – sweeps the country, many have questioned why after sacrificing so much under zero-Covid and waiting for so long to reopen, the government ultimately let the virus rip through a population with little prior warning or preparation.

As 2022 draws to a close, CNN looks back at five key events of the year for China’s zero-Covid policy.

 

[Seattle1]

Covid in China: Countries tighten rules as tourism set to resume

China is opening its borders after three years - but as Covid cases surge, other countries are wary.

www.bbc.com

• How many Covid cases are there in China?

On Monday and Tuesday, China announced it would ease its restrictions on travel to and from the country.

From 8 January, quarantine for travellers entering China will end, and passport applications for Chinese citizens will resume, authorities said.
Travel sites reported a spike in traffic following the announcements - and some countries revised their travel rules.

The US said that from 5 January all passengers travelling from China, Hong Kong and Macau would need a negative Covid test to enter the country in order to "slow the spread" of the virus.

A US department of health statement said air passengers would need to take a Covid test no more than two days before departure. It added that those who tested positive more than 10 days before the flight could provide documentation of recovery from Covid instead of a negative test result.

The measures applied to people flying via a third country and to passengers taking connecting flights through the US to other destinations, it said.

It said it would "continue to monitor the situation" and adjust its approach "as necessary".

It also accused China of failing to provide "adequate and transparent" Covid data, which it said was "critical" for monitoring infection surges "effectively" as well as decreasing the chances of new variants emerging.

Earlier, Wang Wenbin, China's foreign minister spokesman, accused Western countries and media of "hyping up" and "distorting China's Covid policy adjustments".

He said China believed all countries' Covid responses should be "science-based and proportionate", and should "not affect normal people-to-people exchange".

 

[margarita25]

LIVE: Media briefing on COVID-19 and global health issues

www.youtube.com

 

[margarita25]

 

[margarita25]

Upsurge of respiratory illnesses among children-Northern China

www.who.int

 

[margarita25]

LIVE: WHO Update on COVID-19

www.youtube.com

 

[margarita25]

Statement on the antigen composition of COVID-19 vaccines

April 2024 statement on the antigen composition of COVID-19 vaccines

www.who.int

26 April 2024

• “SARS-CoV-2 continues to circulate and evolve with important genetic and antigenic evolution of the spike protein.

• The objective of an update to COVID-19 vaccine antigen composition is to enhance vaccine-induced immune responses to circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants.

• As the virus is expected to continue to evolve from JN.1, the TAG-CO-VAC advises the use of a monovalent JN.1 lineage as the antigen in future formulations of COVID-19 vaccines.

• In accordance with WHO SAGE policy, vaccination programmes should continue to use any of the WHO emergency-use listed or prequalified COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination should not be delayed in anticipation of access to vaccines with an updated composition.”