How Covid has once again got the world worried

Just when the world thought it had put the pandemic behind it, worrying news from China since mid-December changed containment policies in many countries. The explosive rise in infections in China after abandoning its zero-Covid policy has set off alarm bells globally, and countries such as the US, Australia and Japan have seen a sudden spurt in infections. The lack of transparency around China’s figures hasn’t helped. The World Health Organization – accused in the past of being “soft” towards China – says the country has “under-represented” the true impact of the disease. Amidst all this hullabaloo, India has been relatively safe, with less than 500 new cases being reported daily. Experts attribute this to hybrid immunity, which is provided by a combination of prior infection and vaccination. Mint takes a look at how Covid is still keeping the world on edge.