Zhang Wenhong: out of the epidemic is a foregone conclusion, will not be reversed

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“It is a foregone conclusion that we are about to come out of this epidemic, and this trend will not be reversed.”

On Dec. 17, at the 2022 U.S.-China High-End Forum on Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Professor Wenhong Zhang, director of the Infection Department at the National Center for Infectious Diseases and Huashan Hospital of Fudan University, said that the elderly should be very well protected at this stage when the peak of infection is coming soon.

“If the elderly have not been vaccinated, you should reduce their activity level and always wear a mask when you come out. And when you go to see the elderly, you should also wear a mask before you go. Ultimately, I hope that seniors will be able to get vaccinated and have better medications to be able to go and protect them.”

“When this new crown epidemic emerged, we knew that this virus was spreading much faster than the flu virus and that humans in general are not immune to this virus.” Zhang Wenhong explained that humans never achieve the goal of controlling infectious diseases by eliminating a species. So, after influenza was born from the world, it gradually reached a balance with our human immune system, and with our human vaccination and universal infection, it will maintain a certain homeostasis with infectious diseases.”

Zhang Wenhong said the new coronavirus is facing the same situation. “Various studies so far have shown that there is a very strong pressure on the evolution of the virus after we have been vaccinated, causing a substantial reduction in the number of viruses evolving after vaccination. Ultimately what we see today is that only the Omicron strain eventually wins out. This strain has a certain escape effect on human immunity, and its R0 value is already close to the level of about 16-18, and it is now very difficult to jump out of the Omicron strain family and give birth to a faster spreading strain.”

Zhang Wenhong said, “From the data in Shanghai, the Omicron strain has shown a significant trend of reduced virulence, but the aggressiveness to vulnerable populations is still there. This is especially true for people older than 80 years old, who are also the main severely ill patients. In addition to age, chronic kidney disease, hypertension, and some neurological diseases are a major cause of disease in vulnerable populations. Most deaths or serious illnesses occur in unvaccinated populations. Therefore, vaccination is very critical to protect vulnerable populations.”

“Now, our focus is to provide adequate protection to the elderly, specifically in three areas: first, to give them adequate medication in case of infection such as symptoms; second, to advise them to be adequately vaccinated; and third, to form a reverse protection for them during a pandemic to avoid the virus from entering their living space. “
Zhang Wenhong said he expects more new vaccines against omicron to be available soon, which will also be of high value in preparing for omicron infection in vulnerable populations. “Nonetheless, vaccination with existing vaccines is still effective in helping us form a certain immune barrier against omicron, which ultimately allows us to win this battle.” .