On March 15, the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council held a press conference on the epidemic prevention and control and vaccination work. Wang Huaqing, chief expert of the immunization program of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, answered a reporter’s question on how individuals should respond to the Omicron variant .
Wang Huaqing said that judging from the current global epidemic situation of the new crown virus, the recent cases caused by the new coronavirus Omicron variant strain exceeded any previous peak of the epidemic, and the epidemic situation is still relatively serious. In addition, due to the characteristics of the Omicron variant itself, the infectivity is further increased, especially the occultity, which increases the difficulty of prevention and control.
Wang Huaqing reminded that the prevalence of Omicron variant strains will bring great harm to the elderly. From a global perspective, the number of hospitalizations and deaths caused by Omicron variant strains is very large, which makes medical resources strained. Under the current circumstances, vaccination and personal protection are still the most important measures to prevent and control the new crown. Especially the elderly, those who have not been vaccinated should be vaccinated as soon as possible, and those who have not been fully vaccinated should be revaccinated as soon as possible. After being vaccinated, according to the regulations, if the population meets the requirements for booster vaccination, the booster vaccination should be carried out as soon as possible at the specified interval.
At the same time, Wang Huaqing suggested that personal protection should be done well, including wearing masks, maintaining hand hygiene, maintaining social distance, etc., and try not to go to crowded places. Nursing homes and other places where the elderly gather must be strictly managed in accordance with epidemic prevention regulations.