A Covid-19 spike like the one in China is unlikely in the US, experts say. Here's why ⬇️
In the United States, Covid-19 case numbers have been falling since January. They may have hit a plateau as a subvariant of Omicron, BA.2, becomes the main cause of infections.But in China, an area of the world that has had few spikes during the pandemic, there has been a dramatic increase in cases as BA.2 rips through the country.The difference, experts say, is part policy and part population-level immunity.
China battles biggest surge in Covid cases since original Wuhan outbreak 03:41With the first Covid-19 cases in 2020, he said, trends were similar around the globe because most people's bodies had no experience with the coronavirus, and there were no vaccines. They had no protection against it.Since then, different countries have used different vaccines and have had different success with vaccination campaigns.
Shanghai under lockdown to battle the worst Covid-19 outbreak 02:57With the highly contagious Omicron variant, lockdowns can't totally stop the growth in cases, but the strategy has helped, experts say.China's seven-day daily new case average is more than 14,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. By way of comparison, the country has about four times as many people as the US -- but as of Thursday, the US is averaging more than 30,000 new Covid-19 cases per day.
Video shows panic buying as Shanghai to enter lockdown 02:36BA.2, which is playing a role in the spike in cases in China and is now the dominant strain in the US, is especially contagious. Some epidemiologists have said BA.2's basic reproduction number may be as high as 12, meaning each sick person can infect an average of 12 others. That puts it on par with measles.
In the US this week, the Biden administration expanded eligibility for second boosters to people who are 50 and older, but one element that could limit this strategy is money. Congress failed to pass legislation that would fund Covid efforts. The uninsured may lose access to free treatments, tests and vaccines, and that could affect case numbers and deaths in the US.With so many people getting sick globally, what also could change the direction of the pandemic in the US is another variant.
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