MONITORING DESK
ISLAMABAD: To counter further untoward situations, China has stepped up its epidemic prevention and control measures for vital locations, organizations, and population groups, as part of its shift in Covid-19 response policy, according to documents released from the State Council joint prevention and control mechanism on Monday.
According to the documents, the process of vaccination of people living in elderly care facilities and social welfare institutions should be elevated, while those at high risk for progression to vulnerable conditions, comprising those aged 60 and above, those having serious health conditions, and with low immunity, are advised to take booster vaccines immediately.
Chinese government announcement
Earlier, China announced that it would reduce the management of COVID-19 from a Class A infectious disease to Class B from January 8, 2023.
COVID-19 has been categorized as a Class B infectious disease but is subject to the preventive and control measures for a Class A contagious disease.
The documents further revealed that mass nucleic acid testing (to find hidden infections in the community) is no longer being conducted. Still, testing services should be available to all those residents who ask to be tested, adding that targeted testing measures are required for different groups to detect infected patients if timeously.
