European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, has urged EU Health Ministers to assess their current national practices regarding genomic surveillance of the SARS-CovV2 virus and to remain extra vigilant in light of the increasing cases of COVID-19 in China.
In a letter to ministers, Kyriakides said the European Commission is observing closely developments in China regarding the alarming increases in COVID-19 cases there, and the potential impact of travel from China to the EU Member States when new Chinese travel arrangements enter into force at the beginning of January.
She said it will be important to evaluate together the potential impact of this evolving situation and the necessity for the EU to be well prepared, so that the health of its citizens is protected.
During an urgent meeting of the EU Health Security Committee (HSC) which took place on Thursday, with the participation of over 100 Member States representatives online as well as the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organisation showed that there is a wide consensus that EU countries should act in a coordinated way “if we want measures to be effective”.
In the course of the HSC, she said some Member States proposed measures such random testing of travelers. As an immediate step, “I would like to invite you to assess your current national practices regarding genomic surveillance of the SARS-CovV2 virus.”
At the same time, she said it would be important to continue or initiate wastewater surveillance, that would include sewage water from key airports. “If a new variant of the SARS-CoV2 virus appears – be it in China or in the EU – we must detect it early in order to be prepared to react fast,” said Kyriakides.
In the light of the lifting of travel restrictions announced by the Chinese government and which will take effect on 8 January next, Kyriakides called on all “to remain very vigilant” as reliable epidemiological data or testing data for China are quite scarce, the general vaccination coverage in China is low and there is no equivalence decision regarding Chinese vaccination or recovery certificates with the EU Digital COVID-19 Certificate.
At EU level, she added, “we are developing some key messages for EU travelers that are planning to travel to China”. In addition, messages will be made available for travelers coming from China into the EU while messages for airline staff and airport personnel are also being developed and will be available to use in the coming days.
Concluding, she said she will continue her efforts to reach out to the Chinese authorities to offer any support which could be useful in reducing the impacts of the current outbreak there.
Source: Cyprus News Agency