China health, CDC officials to hold Covid briefing in Beijing

Representatives from the National Health Commission (NHC), National Administration of Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention will be speaking at the briefing, to be held at 3pm in Beijing, according to a statement from the NHC.

Bloomberg

November 29, 2022 / 11:05 IST

Workers in protective gear in Beijing, China, on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. Covid-19 cases in China's capital remain elevated, after almost doubling at the weekend, as opposition to the governments hardcore containment regime explodes onto the streets.

China will hold a briefing with officials from various health bodies to discuss Covid prevention and control measures Tuesday, as protests against the country’s zero-tolerance Covid approach fuel speculation the government needs to change course.

Representatives from the National Health Commission (NHC), National Administration of Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention will be speaking at the briefing, to be held at 3pm in Beijing, according to a statement from the NHC.

China holds briefings on its virus response on an almost weekly basis, and they’re typically used by officials to reiterate the government’s line on Covid Zero. The last time a briefing with a similar lineup of officials was held was a week ago, when health official Hu Xiang said China was sticking with its approach as the current Covid outbreak was “severe and complex.” Speakers urged Chinese officials to implement the new 20 guidelines for containing the virus, and said there is a pressing need for more medical resources.

Rumors China may be preparing a big announcement on the fate of Covid Zero fueled gains in stocks tied to reopening Tuesday, with markets already buoyed by steps to support the property sector.

The briefings, usually held at the NHC, are sometimes used to announce more incremental news. But rarely, if ever, has a significant change been announced in this forum, given the status of the officials. The briefings are more often held after big shifts, which are usually announced via state media, are unveiled -- such as the 20 measures -- and give officials a chance to unpack the broader decision and its implications.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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