US ready to help China with vaccines amid Covid outbreak
Blinken said that it is important for all countries including China to focus on people getting vaccinated, making testing and treatment available, and importantly, sharing information with the world about what they’re experiencing.
The United States (US) is prepared to help Covid-hit China with vaccines to control the outbreak in the country, said Secretary of State Antony Blinken, adding that the government in Beijing hasn't asked for assistance so far, according to Bloomberg news.
Addressing a press conference, Blinken said, "We want to see China get this outbreak under control. The US is worried about the rise of new coronavirus variants and China’s outbreak has clear implications for the global economy because of China being shut down on multiple levels."
Meanwhile, Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said that the nation’s vaccine stock “can generally meet demand” and boosters were being rolled out.
Chinese and American health officials will stay in touch, he added, as quoted by Bloomberg.
Blinken said that it is important for all countries including China to focus on people getting vaccinated, making testing and treatment available, and importantly, sharing information with the world about what they’re experiencing.
“Again, because it has implications not just for China, but for the entire world," the US official said.
He touted US efforts to increase Covid-19 vaccination worldwide and to help countries prepare for future pandemics.
According to a new analysis by Airfinity Ltd, a London-based analytics firm, China is likely experiencing one million Covid infections and 5,000 virus deaths every day as it grapples with what is expected to be the biggest outbreak the world has ever seen.
The group estimated that the situation could get even worse for the country of 1.4 billion people. This current wave may see the daily case rate rise to 3.7 million in January, as per Bloomberg reports.
There’ll likely then be another surge of infections that will push the daily peak to 4.2 million in March, it said.
Officially, China reported 2,966 new cases for Wednesday and there have been fewer than 10 Covid deaths since the beginning of December.
(With Bloomberg inputs)
Catch all the Business News , Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
MoreLess
First Published:23 Dec 2022, 06:59 AM IST
- Top Gainers
- Top Losers
- 52 Week High