"Some may believe that lifting #China's #COVID restrictions in June/July of 2023 is the best time & there will be few respiratory illnesses. But protection of active immunity provided by vaccination will have declined by that time in elderly population," said Liang Wannian,🧵1/5 
head of the #COVID19 response expert panel under the NHC, in a recent interview in response to why China chose to optimize its COVID policy in #winter. He claimed that a thorough analysis led to the conclusion that the restrictions should be lifted in the winter.2/5
"If we do not change the #COVID policy in the winter, it may (or may not) reduce some of the superimposed effects, but the virus of this disease is now #Omicron, a variant strain with low pathogenicity," Liang said. 3/5
The decision to change #COVID policy at this time is also closely tied to the current scenario in China over the vaccination of the older people, said Liang, adding that the vaccination rate for the elderly now exceeds 80%, & the effectiveness of protection against 4/5
serious illness & death after immunization is good, but the duration of antibodies is short. "(Therefore) it is the best time for us to make some relevant adjustments to our strategies and measures against #COVID," said Liang.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
