The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on Tuesday 3 January published an update on the consequences of the rise in SARS-CoV-2 infections in China due to the abandonment of the so-called ‘Zero Covid’ policy. The ECDC points out that these infections peaked on 2 December, but that the apparent drop in infections in China is only due to the low number of tests carried out.
The Centre announces that it has intensified its monitoring activities in collaboration with the European Commission and the Member States.
It expects high levels of SARS-CoV-2 infections and increased pressure on health services in China. The Centre reports that China has begun depositing SARS-CoV-2 sequences into the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) platform. While the European Commission remains cautious about the quality of data from China, the ECDC is explicitly critical of the lack of reliable data on infections, hospitalisations and deaths, as well as on ICU capacity and occupancy rates from China and the low number of tests carried out.
As of 3 January, the ECDC estimates, based on the data available at the moment and on its own assessment, that no new variants have emerged and that the variants currently circulating in China are already circulating in the European Union and the European Economic Area.
Because of this, and because of the level of immunity of the EU/EEA population, which the Centre considers to be high, the ECDC considers that an increase in the number of cases in China should not affect the epidemiological situation regarding Covid in the EU/EEA for the time being.
A meeting of Member State experts from the Health Security Committee (HSC) was held on 3 January in preparation for a meeting of the EU’s Integrated Political Crisis Response arrangements (IPCR), convened for 4 January by the Swedish Presidency of the EU Council (see other article). This expert meeting focused on the epidemiological situation and on the potential measures to be adopted at European level before the political meeting on the 4th.
The issue of possible testing of aircraft waste water (a measure already announced by Member States, including Belgium), genomic monitoring, staff and passenger counselling and possible other measures were on the agenda of the experts, in line with the letter sent to EU health ministers by the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, on 29 December, after a first meeting of the Health Security Committee on the subject.
At the meeting on 3 January, the experts agreed on: - a draft opinion including targeted measures for increased monitoring and surveillance, including wastewater and sequencing, testing and vaccination; - measures concerning travellers (see other article).
Vaccines offered to China. In addition, the European Commission has offered China support, which could take the form of vaccines adapted to the new variants of concern as well as public health expertise. Contacts have been established through the EU delegation to China, a European Commission spokesman said on Tuesday.
Assistance had already been proposed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the EU-ASEAN summit on 14 December.
The Commission is ready to facilitate discussions between Member States and to convene further meetings if necessary. The institution reiterates its wish that any decisions agreed at European level should be based on scientific data.
Link to ECDC note: https://aeur.eu/f/4sq (Original version in French by Émilie Vanderhulst)