/PRNewswire/ After three years hard efforts to keep COVID-19 at bay, China has optimized its virus response and come up with a major shift in its epidemic.
President Xi's New Year address, in which he conveyed messages of unity, solidarity and hard work, has boosted the people's confidence to build China into a better place with a bright future.
When Chinese people woke up on Tuesday morning, many shared their excitement on social media for the long-awaited relaxation of the epidemic control measures as the Chinese top health authority announced late on Monday it would downgrade COVID-19 management and reopen the country s borders, to be effective on January 8, 2023. After three years fight against the pandemic, some considered the ending of COVID-19 quarantines and reopening borders as the best New Year gift, which will also be a major turning point in the country s fight against the virus.
China said since COVID began, it has been sharing information on the epidemic in a timely, open and transparent manner in accordance with the law and informing the WHO about China s COVID situation, in response to an appeal from WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus for detailed information, especially on severity cases.
The founder of the Long Covid Support Group, Claire Hastie, said, Many people in our group to this day are being told by their GPs that it s caused by anxiety and it s all in their heads.