Spread of Infections from China, Variants from the US... Continued COVID-19 Concerns in the New Year

Global Emergency Due to COVID-19
China Faces Surge in Cases and Variant Concerns
US Sees Spread of Vaccine-Resistant XBB.1.5

There are projections that the war against COVID-19 will continue into the new year. This is because countries around the world are struggling with COVID-19, with a surge in cases in China and the rapid spread of the Omicron subvariant XBB in the United States.

Global countries tighten borders amid surge in cases from China

A passenger wearing full protective gear stands at Beijing Railway Station in China.
[Photo by AFP Yonhap News]

China has experienced a surge in cases since abandoning its 'zero COVID' policy last month. Chinese authorities reported that the daily new COVID-19 cases were in the 3,000 range, but Bloomberg News, citing internal documents from the National Health Commission of China, reported that daily new cases could reach 37 million. Subsequently, suspicions grew that the Chinese government was downplaying and concealing the number of COVID-19 cases.

As COVID-19 cases surge in China, concerns have been raised that new variant viruses could resurge globally. With a population of 1.4 billion, the spread of COVID-19 in China could lead to the emergence of new variant viruses.

Countries around the world are locking down their borders against China. A total of 14 countries, including South Korea, the United States, and Japan, have announced plans to strengthen regulations and quarantine measures for travelers arriving from China. In particular, Moroccan authorities announced the strongest regulation policy to completely ban entry of travelers from China starting from the 3rd (local time).

South Korea has also taken unusually strong quarantine measures against China. Starting today (the 2nd), all visitors arriving from China must undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test within one day, and from the 5th, they must submit a negative COVID-19 test certificate before boarding the plane.

Rapid spread of 'XBB variant' in the United States

Citizens are lined up outside a clinic of a hospital in Beijing.
[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

Following China, the United States is also struggling with COVID-19. According to recent reports from CNBC and others, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that the incidence rate of infections caused by XBB.1.5, one of the latest Omicron subvariants, has approximately doubled compared to the previous week. XBB.1.5 infections account for about 41% of all new cases in the U.S., indicating it is on the path to becoming the dominant strain.

XBB is an Omicron subvariant first identified in India in August this year and then spread to Singapore. Subsequently, Singapore saw about a threefold increase in COVID-19 cases compared to the previous month, confirming its strong transmissibility.

XBB later evolved into subvariants such as XBB.1 and XBB.1.5. Among these, XBB.1.5 currently shows the most prominent spread in the United States.

Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at Johns Hopkins University, claimed that XBB.1.5 has mutated in a way that easily neutralizes the effectiveness of existing vaccines. XBB.1.5 has many mutations in the spike protein, which gives it particularly high immune evasion capabilities. The virus uses the spike protein to penetrate cells and cause infection, and vaccines are developed based on the characteristics of the spike protein, so the more the spike protein mutates, the less effective the vaccines may become.

The scientific community warns that the XBB subvariants could cause countries to suffer from a surge in infections. Earlier, researchers at Columbia University stated in the scientific journal Cell in November last year that "the spread of variants like XBB could reduce the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and lead to a rapid increase in infections and reinfections."

Meanwhile, Cho Kyu-hong, First Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Minister of Health and Welfare), said at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on the 1st, "Following the Chinese government's easing of quarantine measures, confirmed cases have surged in major Chinese cities, and there were concerns that arrivals from China would increase sharply due to the relaxed measures. We will thoroughly implement quarantine measures such as pre-entry PCR testing, airport quarantine upon arrival, and isolation in case of confirmed infection through meticulous preparation."