Niesters: The illusion that we can stop the coronavirus
Whether the government is right to offer travelers from China only voluntary self-tests for coronavirus is unclear to virologist Bert Neesters. No need to fantasize about it.But Europe has confusing rules right now, which is a shame.It makes more sense to have a European approach.”The Nice Stars claimed.
Other countries require presentation of a negative Covid-19 test or vaccination certificate before leaving China. This regulation has been implemented in the UK, France, Spain and Italy. Countries such as the United States, South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan and India have also taken measures. Belgium will discuss the situation next week.
However, the Netherlands recommends self-tests provided and isolation in case of positive results. But Niesters doesn’t know what the right approach is. “I don’t have to do politics. I’m glad the minister is speaking now and something is being said after all, because the only people you weren’t listening to last week were the minister and the RIVM. .”
Virologists say the Dutch are generally well protected against coronavirus. People have built up a high degree of defense through vaccination and her Covid-19 he one or more infections. “It helps prevent serious illness, but it doesn’t prevent infection. And you can get pretty sick from it, even if it’s an Omicron variant. Dangerous variants exist. I’m not worried about that, but who can? Predict the future?”
For Niesters, the big issue is numbers. “The wave in China is huge. Assuming half the Chinese are infected, we are talking about 700 million people, which is more cases than ever detected worldwide. It’s not a small peak.”
About half of all passengers on some flights from China recently tested positive in Milan, virologists said. “If half of them are positive[by test]we can assume that everyone is infected, because you can be on a plane with other people for 12 hours and not get away with it. The chances of not doing so are very small.”
That’s why it’s important for China to continue testing for coronavirus and analyze test samples to determine which variants are prevalent, Niesters said.
These so-called sequences should be shared by countries with the rest of the world. “Groningen has also shared more results in recent months. I asked China.”
https://nltimes.nl/2022/12/31/niesters-illusion-think-can-stop-coronavirus Niesters: The illusion that we can stop the coronavirus