Warning bells or panic porn? An uptick in sick visits in the Washington, D.C.-area has all eyes on China where respiratory cases have been reported on the rise — especially among children.
(Video: Fox 5 DC)
Lacking sufficient transparency from the communist nation throughout and after COVID, early reports from the home of the infamous Wuhan Institute of Virology have set many on edge. This was especially true around the U.S. capital where Fox 5 reported an increase in visits to hospitals, urgent care facilities and clinics alike.
“What we know so far is that the World Health Organization (WHO) has asked China to share some data about an increase in respiratory illnesses, especially affecting children,” PM Pediatrics Senior Medical Advisor Dr. Christina Johns explained to the outlet, “specifically in northern China.”
“What we know so far is that these are not novel, so not new viruses. These are all things that we have seen before in seasons past; viruses like RSV, influenza, regular old rhinovirus — which causes the common cold — as well as a bacterial cause that’s common called a microplasma,” allayed Johns.
Only Thursday did the WHO report that for over a month, it had been keeping tabs on the developing situation in the Far East and, as Americans were gathered with loved ones for Thanksgiving the organization posted on X, “Since mid-October 2023, WHO has been monitoring data from Chinese surveillance systems that have been showing an increase in respiratory illness in children in northern China.”
“Today, WHO held a teleconference with Chinese health authorities in which they provided requested data on respiratory illnesses among children in Northern China,” the update noted.
Since mid-October 2023, WHO has been monitoring data from Chinese surveillance systems that have been showing an increase in respiratory illness in children in northern China.
Today, WHO held a teleconference with Chinese health authorities in which they provided requested data… pic.twitter.com/lkO22QrelQ
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) November 23, 2023
“The data indicates an increase in outpatient consultations and hospital admissions of children due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia since May, and RSV, adenovirus and influenza virus since October. Some of the increases are earlier in the season than historically experienced,” the report stated before indicating, “but not unexpected given the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, as similarly experienced in other countries.”
“WHO is closely monitoring the situation and is in close contact with national authorities in China,” assured the organization.
Though reportedly unable to comment on the rising number of illnesses in China, the Virginia Department of Health also told Fox 5 that it was monitoring the situation and respiratory activity throughout the Commonwealth.
The report from the WHO comes as researchers from Estonia produced findings that determined individuals with natural immunity fared better than those who had received doses of the experimental mRNA shots.
“Natural immunity conferred substantial protection against COVID-19 hospitalization,” the authors concluded. “Our study showed that natural immunity offers stronger and longer-lasting protection against infection, symptoms, and hospitalization compared to vaccine-induced immunity.”
In reviewing the findings, The Epoch Times reported, “People who received a vaccine were nearly five times as likely as the naturally immune to test positive for COVID-19 during the Delta era and 1.1 times as likely to test positive for COVID-19 during the Omicron era, researchers in Estonia found.”
Additionally, for those fond of the unfalsifiable argument that their symptoms would have been worse if they hadn’t taken the jabs, the Times detailed, “The vaccinated were also seven times as likely to be admitted to a hospital for COVID-19 amid the spread of the Delta variant and two times as likely to be admitted to a hospital during the Omicron period, when compared with the naturally immune.”
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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