China Respiratory Illness Surge Stokes Fears: What We Know
Plus Hamas-Israel truce extended two-days for more hostage releases
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Good morning,
Israel and Hamas have agreed to extend their four-day truce another two days. An additional 20 Israelis, all women and children, are expected to be released in exchange for 60 Palestinian prisoners between today and tomorrow.
Last night, Hamas released 11 hostages — two mothers and nine minors, ages 3 to 18 — as part of the initial four-day deal. The four fathers of the nine children are still being held by Hamas. Israel, in turn, released 33 Palestinian prisoners—maintaining the 3:1 ratio Hamas demanded as part of the agreement.
161 hostages remain abducted inside Gaza, including a 10-month old Israeli baby.
We will have up-to-date information on today’s releases at the Mo News Instagram.
Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren
🚨 P.S. The special discount to join Mo News Premium runs through this afternoon. Use code CYBER50 to get an annual Mo News membership for just $50. That is 40% off for a whole year of extra content on our members-only Instagram page, exclusive podcast interviews and to support Mo News daily coverage on all of our platforms.
🗞 WHAT’S LEADING TO CHINA’S RESPIRATORY ILLNESS SURGE
HERE WE GO AGAIN?
There’s been a surge of respiratory illnesses sweeping across some parts of China— mostly impacting kids— that’s been overwhelming hospitals. It’s also causing global concern about another COVID-like pandemic, given that the last pandemic also started with a respiratory illness surge.
This time around though, China claims it’s simply dealing with an uptick in common illnesses like the flu and RSV as the country experiences its first full winter since easing their longtime COVID-19 restrictions.
WHO WANTS ANSWERS
The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) has requested data and lab results on the respiratory outbreak in Northern China, as it fears another pandemic.
The agency met with Chinese officials in the last week and the two appear to agree that the respiratory outbreak consists of no new pathogens, and instead a spike of infection in children due to low immunity after harsh COVID restrictions were relaxed.
DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN
The outbreak gives flashbacks to China’s lack of transparency and overt lies throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, which started in the central Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019, which Chinese authorities still haven’t been totally transparent about.
The W.H.O. doesn’t have the best track record either. The organization has been criticized for its pandemic response, including not declaring a global emergency earlier, trusting Chinese statements in 2019 and 2020, and failing to properly investigate the origins of COVID inside China.
AN IMMUNITY GAP
In this case, it looks like the surge in hospital visits is because of an “immunity gap” — meaning kids haven’t been exposed to common illnesses, including RSV and flu, and have few immunological defenses against them.
It’s the its first full winter since the removal of COVID restrictions.
China’s “zero COVID” policies used strict lockdowns and community-wide testing to keep infections low.
We saw something like this in the U.S. last winter, when hospitals filled with kids sick from the flu, RSV, rhinovirus, adenovirus, COVID, or some mix of multiple viruses.
Images inside a Chinese hospital released by China Central Television on 11/23/23. Via: ABC
INSIDE CHINA
Since mid-October, an uptick in infections has been seen in the country — thanks to monitoring via Chinese surveillance systems.
The outbreaks have swamped some hospitals in northern China, including Beijing, and health officials have asked the public to take children with less severe symptoms to clinics and other facilities.
Local authorities are being asked by the government to open more fever clinics and promote vaccinations among children and the elderly.
Cases could spike in the next couple weeks.
WHAT W.H.O. OFFICIALS SAY
Maria Van Kerkhove, acting director of the W.H.O.’s department of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, in an interview with STAT said China’s current wave of infections in kids “is not as high as what they saw in 2018-2019” — meaning, seasonal illnesses are going back to pre-pandemic levels.
China gave the agency data from a new “pathogen surveillance system that started in mid-October looking at 13 pathogens — 10 viruses, three bacteria.”
The WHO asked about clustering of “undiagnosed” pneumonias. China said they are not seeing that, and gave percentages of children infected with influenza, rhinovirus, adenovirus, etc.
What the director IS concerned with: “the complete unwillingness to talk about Covid and its risk at an individual level, and really among the most at-risk people.”
COVID FATIGUE STATESIDE
After weeks of slowing trends, the CDC said yesterday that emergency room visits are increasing nationwide from COVID-19.
Van Kerkhove says immunity levels have put us in a better place, but not enough attention is being given to post-Covid conditions. She says:
We have no surveillance on the virus in animals.
We have a lot of people getting reinfected, and don’t understand the long-term implications.
The world has become complacent because it’s been so traumatic.
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🗓 ON THIS DAY: NOVEMBER 28
1943: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin attend the Tehran Conference, at which Stalin pressed for an invasion of France. That would come in the form of D-Day about six months later.
1987: ‘(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life’ by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
1989: Queen Latifah released her debut album, All Hail the Queen, and its success helped redefine the traditionally male genre of rap.
1992: ‘I Will Always Love You’ by Whitney Houston reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100