Zhong Nanshan. The pictures in this article are all live screenshots of the "National University Anti-epidemic Lecture Hall"
Is it true that Covid-19 is "strong in the north and weak in the south" recently rumored on the Internet? Is Omicron infected once equivalent to a vaccination? Whether it is early or late, it is better to be together; Or the later you "turn yang", the lighter your symptoms will be? Under what circumstances should I go to the hospital? How do individuals protect themselves?
On the afternoon of December 15th, Zhong Nanshan, an academician of China Academy of Engineering, gave a theme sharing on "the dynamics of the epidemic situation in COVID-19 and its countermeasures" at the "National Lecture Hall on Anti-epidemic in Colleges and Universities" hosted by Sun Yat-sen University, Peking University and Tsinghua University, and answered the above questions.
Zhong Nanshan believes that there is no essential difference between the two strains. At the same time, he mentioned that one infection with Omicron is equivalent to one vaccination, but he did not agree with the statement that "it is better to be positive early and late, so it is better to be positive together". He said that the later "yang changes", the lighter the symptoms after infection may be. He believes that more and more infected people will be asymptomatic in the end.
Covid-19 is "strong in the north and weak in the south"?
Recently, some netizens think that after being infected with Omicron mutant, the symptoms of the northern infected people are more serious than those of the southern infected people.
Zhong Nanshan also noticed the online related statements. In this regard, he said that at present, Omicron mutant BF.7 is popular in Beijing and Baoding, and Omicron mutant BA.5.2 is popular in Guangzhou and Chongqing. BF.7, the abbreviation of BA.5.21.7, is a mutant strain based on BA.5.2. Generally speaking, there is no obvious difference between the two strains.
Zhong Nanshan said, "In fact, there are also some infected people with high fever and obvious body pain in Guangzhou. In Beijing, it seems that the fever is relatively high and the whole body aches, which may be related to the temperature or the further escape of the strain. "
In addition, Zhong Nanshan mentioned that there is no more evidence, including the statement that "the virulence of the strains in Chaoyang District of Beijing is strong, and the virulence of the strains in Haidian District of Beijing is weak".
Zhong Nanshan believes that there is no essential difference between the two strains.
Zhong Nanshan also mentioned that at present, most people have no obvious performance after being infected with Omicron, that is, asymptomatic infected people; Some people have dry throat, sore throat, dry cough, headache, fever and other symptoms, that is, mild patients. Asymptomatic infections and mild patients reached 98%.
One infection is equivalent to one vaccination?
Regarding the "sequela" of COVID-19, Zhong Nanshan said that there are more than 200 symptoms of "sequela" of COVID-19, the main clinical manifestations of which are cough, dyspnea, olfactory dysfunction, fever, joint and muscle pain, headache, chest pain, brain fog (difficulty in concentration), sleep disorder, fatigue, fatigue and mood change.
Zhong Nanshan mentioned that a Scottish study showed that asymptomatic infected people basically have no sequelae. At the same time, patients who have been vaccinated before infection have a lower risk of "sequelae" after infection, such as a 42% decrease in the risk of olfactory disorder, a 39% decrease in the risk of taste disorder, and a 40% decrease in the risk of hearing disorder.
Zhong Nanshan also said that at present, many data show that after being infected with Omicron once, the rate of reinfection within one year is very small. After being infected with Omicron once (including asymptomatic), it is actually like being vaccinated once, and antibodies will be produced in the body.
In this case, shouldn’t it be as some people on the Internet say, "It’s better to be sunny early and sunny late than to be sunny together"? Zhong Nanshan believes that this concept is not desirable.
Zhong Nanshan said that although Omicron (BA.4/5, BF.7) infection is not terrible, most people can fully recover in 7-10 days; However, it is still very important to prevent infection, because China has a large population base, so we should be careful to prevent large-scale infection from affecting the normal social order or leading to the emergence of new mutant strains in the short term.
In addition, Zhong Nanshan mentioned that people should not take the initiative to get sick, but because Omicron is highly contagious, there is a high probability of infection. However, the later the infection is delayed, the symptoms after infection may become lighter and lighter. "I believe that in the end, more and more infected people will be asymptomatic." Zhong Nanshan said.
How do individuals protect themselves?
At present, the spread of Omicron is very strong. How can individuals protect themselves?
In this regard, Zhong Nanshan put forward eight suggestions to strengthen personal protection: strengthening protection (wearing masks, keeping a distance, reducing public gathering, etc.); Don’t be afraid of infection; Most infected people don’t need to go to the hospital; Pay attention to antigen testing at home; If you continue to have fever, you must go to the hospital; Older people suffering from general chronic diseases should also be vaccinated; It is not necessary to hoard medicine; "Old drugs are used for new purposes" must undergo rigorous experiments.
In view of how young people cope with COVID-19, Zhong Nanshan also mentioned that the serious illness rate of young people infected with COVID-19 is very low. If there are no early warning symptoms in self-health monitoring after infection, they can continue to be isolated at home and release more resources for fever clinics and emergency treatment to elderly patients who need it more.
"But if there are suspicious warning symptoms after self-health monitoring, you still need to see a doctor nearby in time." Zhong Nanshan said, "During the peak period of the epidemic, people who live with the elderly should also be vaccinated and strengthened, consciously reduce unnecessary going out and gathering, and do a good job of self-protection when going out to avoid infection. If there are suspected infection symptoms, the antigen self-test should be carried out in time. If it is positive, it should be isolated from itself (single room) to reduce contact with the elderly at home. "
Zhong Nanshan has repeatedly stressed that it is necessary to accelerate the intensified vaccination of vaccines (especially heterogeneous vaccines). He pointed out that the effect of preventing infection will not be enhanced if the same vaccine continues to be vaccinated, but the effect of preventing severe diseases still exists; The effect of immunization with heterologous vaccine (subunit protein vaccine/adenovirus vaccine /mRNA vaccine on the basis of two doses of inactivated vaccine) is obviously improved. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the immunization of the elderly and vulnerable groups. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen the vaccine protection of medical personnel, and accelerate the research and development and approval of nasal spray and inhalation vaccines.