THE SQUIZ
China reopened its international border yesterday after nearly 3 years, ending strict rules a fortnight ahead of Lunar New Year celebrations that will see huge numbers of people travel to be with family. The final restriction to fall means travellers entering China are no longer required to quarantine. It comes as the virus continues to surge in the country following the relaxation of its zero-COVID policy that cut it off from the rest of the world. And while some nations, including Oz, have expressed concern and introduced mandatory tests for travellers, some Aussie-Chinese are spending as much as $6,000 for an economy plane ticket to get to China for the holiday. And they aren’t the only ones on the move… Last week, the nation’s Transport Ministry said that more than 2 billion passengers are expected to take trips within China over the next 40 days.

WHERE’S COVID AT IN CHINA?
Good question… Officials say a handful of people are dying each day – the official death toll for the entire pandemic is just over 5,000 (and for context, Oz’s death toll is around 17,300…). The World Health Organization (WHO) says that’s extremely unlikely, given China’s population is more than 1.4 billion people. Scientists believe as many as 9,000 people are dying every day in China, which could rise to 25,000 with the movement of people over the next few weeks, and that could take the toll to 1.7 million by April. And it’s not all about fatalities… For weeks it’s been reported that hospitals are struggling to cope with rising infections after the government suddenly lifted restrictions following widespread protests against COVID lockdowns last month. Note: there are still reports that anyone criticising the government’s decisions is being silenced.

WHAT ABOUT NEW VARIANTS?
The one that’s getting the most attention is called XBB.1.5 – it’s the new Omicron sub-variant that has been dubbed ‘the Kraken’ by evolutionary biologist T Ryan Gregory. He’s likened it to the mythological sea creature said to be a bit like a giant octopus that used multiple tentacles to take down large ships. The WHO has called it “the most transmissible sub-variant which has been detected yet”. It’s not thought to cause any more serious infection, but scientists believe it’s showing signs of “immunity escape”, meaning it can infect people who’ve been vaccinated or infected before. It is now the dominant variant in the US and has been found in at least 28 countries, and PM Anthony Albanese has confirmed that includes Australia. The experts say we don’t need to be “overly worried”, but it’s a reminder that COVID’s not done with us yet.