untitled design

Why China is still implementing a zero-Covid strategy and what made its citizens react – What’s next

China’s strategy to control the coronavirus with lockdowns, mass testing and quarantines has caused the biggest public outcry against the ruling Communist Party in decades. Initially, China succeeded in suppressing the virus, but then more contagious variants appeared and in recent weeks the situation has become difficult, with new record numbers, the British Guardian writes in its analysis.

Health experts have criticized China’s methods as unsustainable, so with cases and public discontent to increasewhy is China still following the zero-Covid strategy?

Vaccines

Almost three years after the first detection of Covid-19 in Wuhan, the number of cases in China remains much lower than in most other countries. However, this means that the population has had very little exposure to the virus and the vaccination rate remains lower than in many similar countries.

Health analytics company Airfinity released forecasts on Monday, estimating that up to two million people in China could be at risk of death if the country lifts its zero-Covid policy, given low vaccination rates and a lack of natural immunity in its population.

China’s preparations for life after zero-Covid have also been called into question by analysts. While many nations have used the time given by lockdowns to increase intensive care capacity, China still lags behind many other Asian nations.

Recent figures show China has fewer than five intensive care beds per 100,000 people, compared with nearly 30 in Taiwan and more than 10 in South Korea and Thailand.

In what could be seen as a rare criticism of the country’s health system, a recent op-ed published in China’s state-run People’s Daily quoted a pharmaceutical analyst as saying that a full reopening could “threaten a health system that has today much fewer ICU beds. than those of other developed countries”.

There is a broader view that these factors, combined with unequal access to health care, would likely lead to a large number of deaths if the virus threatened to infect the country’s estimated population of 1.4 billion.

What’s next

Experts worldwide agree that the zero-Covid strategy implemented by the Beijing is unsustainable in the long term. However, in the face of unprecedented protests, there is little sign that the authorities are willing to relax the strict containment measures.

A front-page article in China’s state-run newspaper, Global Times, points out that, “compared to the past two years, China is facing a much tougher battle with the Covid disease. The authors of the article cite an unnamed expert as warning that authorities may need to take “excessive measures”.

However, in what could be seen as a “nod” to growing public discontent, former Global Times editor Hu Xijin has acknowledged the protests taking place in the country and admitted that, “with the relaxation of measures to prevent and control the epidemic, spirits would soon calm down.” “Most Chinese are no longer afraid of being infected. China may emerge from the shadow of the Covid-19 disease earlier than expected.”

Source: News Beast

You may also like

Get the latest

Stay Informed: Get the Latest Updates and Insights

 

Most popular