A medical worker takes a swab sample from a resident for nucleic acid test in Jilin city, Northeast China's Jilin province, March 15, 2022. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
There were 3,507 new local infections reported on the Chinese mainland on Monday, with a further 1,647 new local asymptomatic cases announced. This was double the number of new infections reported the previous day. It is obvious that the country is facing its severest test since the lockdown of Wuhan was lifted in 2020.
Although the cases in Northeast China's Jilin province account for one-third of the total, new infections have been detected in 27 provincial-level regions so far. The extensive spread of the virus not only speaks volumes about how easily and quickly the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus is transmitted, but also of how imperative it is for the country's dynamic clearing prevention and control measures to be implemented in a more detailed and stricter manner.
In a country with a population of more than 1.4 billion, of which more than 18 percent are over 60 years old, adopting the herd immunity approach that has been employed by most other countries would likely result in millions of deaths.
What local governments at all levels have done to control and prevent the virus over the past more than two years has laid a solid foundation for continuing the dynamic clearing approach.
Nevertheless, the sudden burst of infections in Jilin province and other places suggests that some local governments have relaxed their vigilance and taken for granted that it would be easy to keep the spread of the virus at bay.
The latest resurgence of the virus should serve as a reminder that the control and prevention measures must be strictly maintained if they are to serve their purpose of detecting infections as early as possible and cutting the chains of transmission. Once a new infection is detected, that person's direct and indirect contacts need to be identified as quickly as possible and placed under quarantine and medical observation.
Such screening, if strictly practiced, is a proven way to quickly contain and control the spread of the virus and clear infections.
But however strictly the control and prevention measures are adopted, they must be targeted and implemented in such a way that the inconvenience to residents is kept to a minimum.
And as far as individuals are concerned, this new resurgence of the virus should also serve as a reminder that they must be as vigilant as ever, and take all possible precautions.
Last but not the least, vaccination is important. Those eligible should have their shots or booster shots if they haven't already.
It is important that everyone plays their part in bringing this latest wave of the virus under control as soon as possible.