China & Covid-19
When the government insisted on zero-COVID, you ran out to protest. Abandon zero-COVID, and you run to pharmacies to get meds - Jennifer Pak
image by: QuantFoto
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How China’s loosened COVID-19 policies have left the country vulnerable
In much of the world, COVID-19 has followed that natural trajectory of a pandemic. The story is different in China. The relaxation of zero-COVID policies may bring China more in line with the rest of the world in terms of what the people there can do, but the virus also gets a chance to run its natural course now that government actions will not suppress the spread. It is likely that in the coming months, the Chinese people will face the pain and suffering that many other places experienced in 2020 and 2021.
Resources
China’s zero-COVID whiplash
“When the government insisted on zero-COVID, you ran out to protest. Abandon zero-COVID, and you run to pharmacies to get meds. Now, do you realize how the government was protecting us before?” a bar consultant in Wuhan said in a Douyin video.
How Bad Is China’s Covid Outbreak? It’s a Scientific Guessing Game
In the absence of credible information from the Chinese government, researchers around the world are looking for any clues to determine the size and severity of the surge.
What we know about the COVID-19 data China is — and isn’t — sharing
Of greatest concern is whether new variants will emerge from the mass infection unfolding in China and spread to other countries. The delta and omicron variants developed in places that also had large outbreaks, which can be a breeding ground for new variants.
China's Covid Secrets
The untold story of the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and how China responded. Chinese scientists and doctors, international disease experts and health officials reveal missed opportunities to suppress the outbreak and lessons for the world.
China Covid: How is it tackling the latest surge in cases?
People are no longer required to go into quarantine in state facilities if they or someone they have been in contact with tests positive.
China to Allow Rapid Tests to Confirm Covid Cases
The decision to allow antigen tests to confirm Covid infection comes as China winds down the widespread use of nucleic acid tests for diagnosing cases, as they grew to become a financial burden for local governments.
China’s COVID Wave Could Kill One Million People, Models Predict
Boosting vaccination rates, continuing widespread mask use and reimposing some restrictions on movement could reduce the number of deaths in China’s COVID wave.
China’s COVID Wave Is Coming
The world’s most populous nation is being forced onto a zero-COVID off-ramp.
China’s Covid-19 Surge Puts Strain on Medical Workers
While China increased spending to build more hospitals and develop vaccines in response to the pandemic, a lot of the funds went toward paying for the now-abandoned zero-Covid strategy, cutting into investment to expand medical resources.
China’s health system isn’t ready for the end of “zero Covid”
The Chinese population is more vulnerable than places where the virus has spread widely for the past few years. Though vaccination rates are pretty high, around 90 percent, the vaccines China deployed are not as effective as those used in the US and Europe. And a much smaller proportion of the population has been infected by the virus, which does confer another layer of protection for people. The virus should find it easier to move from person to person.
Confusion and falsehoods spread as China reverses its 'zero-COVID' policy
After nearly three years of strict "zero-COVID" policies, in recent days Chinese officials have rolled back most of them following rare protests across the country. Mass testing and mass quarantining are now things of the past.
Omicron is changing China’s covid strategy
For most of the covid-19 pandemic, a bargain based on tough love has bonded China’s rulers and people. Leaders have imposed tight controls on an unlucky minority—meaning anyone hapless enough to cross paths or live near someone with covid, or even to be a close contact of these close contacts. Such unfortunates face being quarantined for days or weeks.
How China’s loosened COVID-19 policies have left the country vulnerable
After largely containing the coronavirus in 2020, China began enforcing a strict zero-COVID policy leading up to the Beijing Olympics in 2022. The result is that China has not followed the standard path of a pandemic where people slowly gain immunity through exposure or vaccination, allowing society to open up over time. Combined with questions about the efficacy of China’s vaccines and comparatively low vaccination rates, many public health experts think that China will be hit hard by the coronavirus as the country rapidly lifts its zero-COVID policy.
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