TCM will play a bigger role in dealing with Omicron: expert

The municipal government of Tianjin holds a press briefing about the COVID-19 pandemic on Jan. 11, 2022. (People’s Daily Online/Cui Xinyao)

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) will play a larger role in the treatment of Omicron infections, Zhang Boli, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering and honorary president of the Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, told a press briefing on the COVID-19 pandemic, held by the Tianjin municipal government on Jan. 11, 2022.

Zhang noted that, as a variant strain of the COVID-19 virus, Omicron is characterized by its rapid spread and strong level of concealment. Many patients have had no symptoms, so they didn’t seek out medical treatment immediately, resulting in a hidden chain of transmission.

During the new wave of COVID-19 with active spread of Omicron, one person infected more than 10 other people. However, Omicron infection cases often have mild symptoms, with asymptomatic cases accounting for about 30 percent, and those with mild symptoms accounting for about 50 percent, and 20 percent being ordinary cases. There are also fewer severe cases.

Some patients, children and adults had been asymptomatic at the beginning, and two to three days later they started to suffer from symptoms of the upper respiratory tract, including coughing, sore throat and fever, Zhang noted, adding that the body temperatures of the patients was not very high, being between 38 and 38.5 degrees Celsius, and there were fewer gastrointestinal issues associated with Omicron than the previous cases.

Zhang pointed out that children have not experienced a significantly heightened rise in infections compared with other age groups during the Omicron wave, adding that three doctors have been dispatched to offer medical treatment for younger patients, all of whom are currently in a stable situation.

Zhang Boli speaks at a press conference in Tianjin, Jan. 11, 2022. (People’s Daily Online/Cui Xinyao)

Based on previous experiences, TCM will play a bigger role in the treatment of Omicron infections, Zhang said. After receiving TCM treatment, the time needed for a patient to return a negative test is relatively fast, and the likelihood of returning a positive test for the virus is relatively low, indicating that the therapeutic effects of TCM are beneficial, according to Zhang.

“According to the new characteristics of Omicron, we have also created new TCM prescriptions, which focus on dispelling heat-related symptoms for the patients at the first stage, eliminating coughing and other symptoms at the second stage and supplementing qi and nourishing yin at the last stage,” Zhang introduced.

Zhang disclosed that the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine is convening online meetings to find plans for effective treatment of Omicron infections through TCM. He also said they will summarize their previous treatment experience to ease the epidemic situation in Tianjin and contribute to the national effort towards virus containment.