A COVID lockdown 2023 is on the cards thanks to the recent surge in Omicron cases in China. If experts are to be believed, we might soon start seeing numbers similar to what we saw a couple of years ago during COVID’s first surge.
Life seemed to get back to normal in 2022. Many countries eased their COVID lockdowns and opened their borders. No more mask mandates are being imposed on people. International travel is now more accessible than during the pandemic. But with the recent discovery of a new Omicron strain, can the world be able to afford another lockdown?
Can COVID still cause a lockdown in 2023?
China is the most recent country to have eased its COVID restrictions in December. This was in time for the new year celebration. However, many still suffer from COVID, and Chinese hospitals are still having a hard time. China is facing a widespread infection of COVID and is expected to deal with one million deaths in the coming year. Despite this, President Xi Jinping has dropped the zero COVID policy as Chinese citizens are not ready to face another lockdown.
People in China are not immunologically ready for the new emerging strains. Vaccinated people in China are only immune to the first strain of COVID that emerged in 2019. More lockdowns will further collapse the economy and disrupt production not only in China but across the globe. Since opening its borders this year, the government needs to ensure better safety regulations are in place without disrupting the daily lives of its Citizens.
New policies needed to tackle COVID and avoid lockdown in 2023
Since being declared a world emergency in 2020, the focus on making COVID vaccines took a priority. As a result, research on AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and other infections took a hit. Many low-income countries are still suffering from the impact of these other diseases in the aftermath of the pandemic. This makes the recovery of their economy harder than wealthy nations.
Policies and Politics from wealthy nations prohibited these smaller countries from getting the help they deserved in their time of need. The global community needs to reckon with such policies. This is the only way the world can tackle another crisis. We need to get together to ensure that these nations are given a fighting chance.
3 years ago, the first SARS-CoV-2 sequence was shared. Today, sequencing remains vital. We urge all countries to keep testing & sharing sequences. We understand efforts won’t be as intense as before but we can’t beat this virus with our eyes closed. https://t.co/ESBZSWZWZh pic.twitter.com/gI6TnQcAXS
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) January 12, 2023
COVID is still prevalent in many countries. Ensuring vaccinations are given out properly for another year or so should be the top priority. Counties like India and China have approved nasal vaccinations for COVID. The effectiveness of these vaccines remains to be seen. In the future, we shouldn’t forget the lessons learned from the pandemic and the lockdown and take measures to ensure the same mistakes are not made again.
