COVID-19 Update: US Drops Pre-Departure COVID Test Requirement For Travellers From China

Air passengers travelling from China to the US will no longer be needed to get tested for COVID-19 and produce a negative test result. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday lifted mandatory COVID-19 test requirements for travellers from China. Staring January 5, the US had made pre-departure negative COVID tests mandatory for travellers flying from China, considering the sudden surge in coronavirus cases in China in December last year. With the new decision coming into effect on Friday evening, passengers on flights departing to the US from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macau, didn't require to show pre-departure negative COVID tests, as reported by Xinhua news agency. Global COVID-19 update: US records highest numbers of new cases According to WHO, nearly 4.5 million new COVID-19 cases and 32,000 deaths related to the disease were reported worldwide from February 6 to March 5, 2023 (total 28 days). The number of new cases and deaths decreased by 58 per cent and 65 per cent respectively, compared to the previous 28 days. As recorded on 5 March 2023, more than 759 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and over 6.8 million COVID- related deaths have been reported globally, the organization revealed in its weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 released on March 8. During these 28 days, the highest numbers of new cases were reported from the United States of America (1,027,596), followed by Japan (539,251), China (454,575), Germany (379,505), and the Russian Federation (345,384).The highest numbers of new deaths were also reported from the United States of America (10 856), followed by Japan (3432), China (2634), the United Kingdom (2103), and Brazil (1931). Omicron remains a variant of concern: XBB.1.5 most prevalent Currently, WHO is keeping a track on one SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern (VOC), Omicron; and seven Omicron subvariants, including BA.1, BA.2,BA.3, BA.4, BA.5, and XBB.1.5. Almost all SARS-CoV-2 sequences shared through GISAID from 6 February to 6 March 2023 (28 days), were the Omicron VOC, the WHO report stated. It also reported an increasing trend in the proportions of recombinant lineages globally. At present, XBB.1.5 is identified as the most prevalent variant. However, available information does not suggest that XBB.1.5 has a higher clinical severity relative to the other circulating Omicron descendent lineages, WHO noted.