According to monitoring data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, since the middle of April, the number of reported confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infections has been on the rise in China, although the upward trend has slowed in the past week.

The increase in the number of confirmed infections, coupled with the presence of "long COVID", has inevitably led to some anxiety and panic. Comments from netizens such as "There have been so many cases recently" reflect the lack of sufficient psychological preparedness in the face of the recent wave of infections and public awareness of the current situation.

After the COVID-19 epidemic entered a more stable phase of control, the debate surrounding post-COVID conditions and concerns over the enhanced immune escape capabilities of new variants and "long COVID" seem to have become new social concerns.

Everyone wishes for good health and hopes to avoid being infected by the virus, but excessive worry in this regard is unnecessary.

If we divide the anti-epidemic process into two periods, the first period focused on blocking the transmission pathways for the virus, during which the resilience of the entire epidemic prevention system has withstood the test.

In the later period, as the virulence of the virus has weakened, the focus of epidemic prevention has shifted from "preventing infection "to "protecting health and preventing severe cases". Testing positive for the virus is no longer a fearful thing, but that does not mean that we can be completely carefree in the face of the novel coronavirus. Just as some experts pointed out, we should neither fear COVID-19 excessively nor underestimate it.

The domestic vaccine and drug development efforts continue to make progress, with 13 COVID-19 vaccines having been approved conditionally or for emergency use. Even after a large number of people were infected at the end of last year, there is still effective protection available.

Furthermore, seeking medical treatment is more convenient for COVID-19 patients now, and the healthcare system has gained more experience in dealing with the virus after addressing the initial challenges of the epidemic.

BEIJING NEWS