Dynamic zero-infection the only choice for China to combat pandemic
2 years, 10 months ago

Dynamic zero-infection the only choice for China to combat pandemic

China Daily  

A medical worker takes a swab sample from a resident at a COVID-19 testing site in Haidian district in Beijing, Jan 24, 2022. China's dynamic zero-infection policy has been especially successful over the past two months given that the new Omicron variant is three times more transmissible, and many countries have found it impossible to control as evidenced by the recent record numbers of infections in the US, EU countries, and India. China's dynamic zero-infection policy has drawn a lot of criticisms during the past two months－ever since the Omicron variant emerged. When I asked experts at the WHO at a press conference last week about their opinion on China's anti-pandemic policy, they said they would rather be in China's position with not many people infected during the two years of the pandemic, while emphasizing the need to strengthen vaccination and other anti-COVID-19 measures to plug the pandemic-response gaps as the world opens up. But to suggest that China abandon the dynamic zero-infection policy and surrender to the pandemic like many other countries is ill advice.

Policy China Pandemic Countries Omicron  china  variant  choice  chinas  omicron  pandemic  covid19  zeroinfection  dynamic  past  policy  countries  combat

History of this topic

COVID-19 infections not problematic, experts say
4 months, 1 week ago

COVID-19 infections not problematic, experts say

China Daily  

The number of people in China being infected with COVID-19 is fluctuating reasonably and won't be a burden on medical resources or the public, experts said. However, the National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases said the percentage of people catching flu and testing positive for COVID-19 rose from 8.9 percent in early July to 18.7 percent late last month. "COVID-19 …

China steps up measures to monitor, control diseases
6 months, 3 weeks ago

China steps up measures to monitor, control diseases

China Daily  

China plans to complete preliminary establishment of a modern disease control system and finish basic construction of a scientific and efficient monitoring, early warning and emergency response system for infectious diseases by the end of 2025, according to an action plan released on Wednesday. The document, jointly released by the National Administration of Disease Control and Prevention and other government …

Biden administration partners with 50 countries to stifle future pandemics
8 months, 1 week ago

Biden administration partners with 50 countries to stifle future pandemics

LA Times  

President Biden’s administration is launching a program that will help 50 countries, most of them in Africa and Asia, identify and respond to infectious diseases. President Biden’s administration will help 50 countries identify and respond to infectious diseases, with the goal of preventing pandemics like the COVID-19 outbreak that suddenly halted normal life around the globe in 2020. The Global …

China stands alone in its attitude towards the pandemic
10 months, 3 weeks ago

China stands alone in its attitude towards the pandemic

Hindustan Times  

The omicron variant of COVID-19 poses enormous challenges for governments. In America, cases are at three times their previous peak in January 2021, hospitals are as busy as they have ever been and deaths have risen by 40% in two weeks to 1,800 per day. Covid In China: Security guards wearing personal protective equipment amid the Covid-19 pandemic sit at …

China tries to ‘bury the memory’ and trauma of zero-COVID era
1 year ago

China tries to ‘bury the memory’ and trauma of zero-COVID era

Al Jazeera  

A year after Beijing abandoned the policy’s strict lockdowns and endless testing, its failures remain unaddressed. “Doctors and nurses were rushing around everywhere between long lines of patients waiting their turn, and people were even sitting on the floor and against the walls,” Ma, who is 36 and works as a sales representative in China’s northeastern Shandong province, told Al …

Scientists see risk of lost opportunity for long COVID research in China
1 year ago

Scientists see risk of lost opportunity for long COVID research in China

The Hindu  

With more than a full year past since China eased restrictions and let COVID-19 sweep its households, scientists are worried a unique opportunity may be slipping away to study long COVID from possibly hundreds of millions of infections in that country. China's rare circumstances - relying on home-grown vaccines and mostly avoiding COVID until late in the pandemic - could, …

‘Not by novel virus’: What China said on ‘mysterious pneumonia’
1 year ago

‘Not by novel virus’: What China said on ‘mysterious pneumonia’

Hindustan Times  

A pneumonia outbreak in China has alerted the world including the World Health Organization which sought more information about the situation from the country. Medical staff in protective suits treat a patient with pneumonia On Sunday, China's health ministry asked local authorities to increase the number of fever clinics amid the latest crisis. "Efforts should be made to increase the …

No ‘unusual’ virus behind rising Pneumonia cases China has clarified, reveals WHO
1 year, 1 month ago

No ‘unusual’ virus behind rising Pneumonia cases China has clarified, reveals WHO

Firstpost  

Since mid-October 2023, the World Health Organization has been monitoring data from Chinese surveillance systems showing an increase in respiratory illness in children in northern China China has reiterated that no unusual or new pathogens have been detected in the upsurge in child respiratory illnesses in the north, the WHO said on Thursday after putting pressure on Beijing for detailed …

China's pneumonia scare: Transparency please
1 year, 1 month ago

China's pneumonia scare: Transparency please

Live Mint  

China, where covid broke out in November 2019, is in the spotlight again. The World Health Organization has asked the country for details on an increase in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children. In a recent statement, the WHO noted an increase in influenza-like ailments compared to the same autumn of the past three years in China’s …

Spike in illnesses isn’t a new pathogen, China reassures WHO
1 year, 1 month ago

Spike in illnesses isn’t a new pathogen, China reassures WHO

Salon  

An outbreak of respiratory illnesses in China has sparked alarm, but the sudden rise in sickness is not related to a new virus, according to Chinese health authorities. So far, the data suggests that there’s nothing out of the ordinary, but both the WHO and China have been criticized in the past for not being entirely transparent about the COVID-19 …

On China pneumonia outbreak, scientists caution to not press ‘pandemic panic button’
1 year, 1 month ago

On China pneumonia outbreak, scientists caution to not press ‘pandemic panic button’

Hindustan Times  

Leading scientists urged caution over fears of another pandemic on Thursday after the World Health Organization requested more information from China on a rise of respiratory illnesses and pneumonia clusters among children. The standard wording of the alert echoed the first-ever notice about what would become COVID-19, sent on Dec. 30 2019: "Undiagnosed pneumonia - China." "I am not going …

Is COVID making a return to China this winter?
1 year, 1 month ago

Is COVID making a return to China this winter?

Firstpost  

China’s leading respiratory illness expert Zhong Nanshan has warned of a minor COVID-19 surge in the winter and urged the elderly and vulnerable populations to get vaccinated as soon as possible Concerned about an increase of COVID-19 infections in the current winter season, Chinese experts have issued an alert and advised vaccination for vulnerable and old groups. The Chinese Centre …

China on ALERT over likely COVID-19 relapse ahead of winter
1 year, 1 month ago

China on ALERT over likely COVID-19 relapse ahead of winter

India TV News  

COVID-19 alert: Ahead of the winter season, an alert has been sounded across China about the relapse of COVID-19 infections and experts have asked elderly and vulnerable populations to get vaccinated. The Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention showed that a total of 209 new severe COVID-19 cases and 24 deaths caused by COVID-19 were reported across the country …

China’s chief epidemiologist who helped drive the anti-COVID fight dies at age 60
1 year, 1 month ago

China’s chief epidemiologist who helped drive the anti-COVID fight dies at age 60

Associated Press  

BANGKOK — Wu Zunyou, an epidemiologist who helped drive the country’s strict zero-COVID measures in China that suspended access to cities and confined millions to their homes, died on Friday. An announcement from China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention about Wu’s death gave no cause, but said that “rescue measures failed.” Wu’s health had been poor. Yet, as China …

Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic: Unanswered questions, lessons learnt and ongoing challenges
1 year, 2 months ago

Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic: Unanswered questions, lessons learnt and ongoing challenges

Firstpost  

The COVID-19 pandemic that impacted all aspects of human life, quite literally cancelled the planet. Was any internal advice given to the Government of India that the mRNA vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna were better, despite the fact that they were significantly more expensive and difficult to administer? Covishield, developed by Oxford-AstraZeneca in the UK, is similar to previous …

Large-scale COVID reemergence 'unlikely' despite uptick in cases
1 year, 7 months ago

Large-scale COVID reemergence 'unlikely' despite uptick in cases

China Daily  

China Daily| Updated :2023-05-19 The risk of a new large-scale COVID-19 outbreak in China in the short term is minimal, despite a recent uptick in new infections, according to health experts. Wang Liping, a researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said during a group interview that the recent increase in new cases is unlikely to overwhelm …

We need China’s cooperation to understand covid: former WHO chief scientist
1 year, 7 months ago

We need China’s cooperation to understand covid: former WHO chief scientist

Live Mint  

Cooperation from China, including access to sites, data, blood samples, and animal farms in the country, is required to determine the origin of the covid-19 virus, according to former World Health Organization chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan. Swaminathan emphasized the need to address long covid symptoms, particularly among those with high-risk conditions such as hypertension. During every covid wave, when people …

Learn from missteps in Covid’s early days
1 year, 7 months ago

Learn from missteps in Covid’s early days

Hindustan Times  

Covid-19 is no longer a public health emergency, the World Health Organization declared last week, roughly 1,200 days after it first learnt of a new coronavirus spreading through Wuhan, China. Still, WHO’s word is a strong determinant in global health discourse and on this count, the agency fell short in its mission, especially in the early days of the pandemic. …

China to remain alert even as WHO declares COVID-19 global emergency over
1 year, 7 months ago

China to remain alert even as WHO declares COVID-19 global emergency over

Firstpost  

A top Chinese health official said that despite the World Health Organisation ending the worldwide emergency designation for COVID-19, the virus is still dangerous and China will continue to monitor it while boosting vaccination rates among high-risk groups. According to Liang Wannian, head of China’s COVID-19 response expert group under the National Health Commission, the warning status being lifted by …

WHO downgrades COVID pandemic, says it’s no longer emergency
1 year, 7 months ago

WHO downgrades COVID pandemic, says it’s no longer emergency

Associated Press  

GENEVA — The World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. The U.N. health agency’s officials said that even though the emergency phase was over, the pandemic hasn’t finished, noting recent spikes in …

World Health Organisation downgrades Covid pandemic: 'No longer global emergency'
1 year, 7 months ago

World Health Organisation downgrades Covid pandemic: 'No longer global emergency'

Hindustan Times  

The World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies worldwide and killed at least 7 million people worldwide. “It’s with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “That …

COVID no longer a global health emergency, WHO says
1 year, 7 months ago

COVID no longer a global health emergency, WHO says

Al Jazeera  

UN health agency declares end to public health emergency of international concern, in place for more than three years. COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a “global health emergency”, the World Health Organization says. “Yesterday, the Emergency Committee met for the 15th time and recommended to me that I declare an end to the public health emergency of international concern,” WHO …

Many Asian Nations Seeing Covid Rise, India, Singapore on List. Are Countries Planning Curbs?
1 year, 8 months ago

Many Asian Nations Seeing Covid Rise, India, Singapore on List. Are Countries Planning Curbs?

News 18  

A recent spike in Covid-19 cases is seen among Asian nations with the fresh wave exerting pressure on the healthcare systems. India, on the other hand, has touched daily cases of 10,000, the highest in nearly eight months, while Indonesia’s caseload is near a four-month high, Bloomberg reported. Medical experts have said the virus’ new XBB.1.16 variant could be driving …

Ignoring experts, China’s sudden zero-COVID exit cost lives
1 year, 9 months ago

Ignoring experts, China’s sudden zero-COVID exit cost lives

Associated Press  

BEIJING — When China suddenly scrapped onerous zero-COVID measures in December, the country wasn’t ready for a massive onslaught of cases, with hospitals turning away ambulances and crematoriums burning bodies around the clock. Chinese state media claimed the decision to open up was based on “scientific analysis and shrewd calculation,” and “by no means impulsive.” But in reality, China’s ruling …

Ignoring experts, China’s sudden zero-COVID exit cost lives
1 year, 9 months ago

Ignoring experts, China’s sudden zero-COVID exit cost lives

Associated Press  

BEIJING — When China suddenly scrapped onerous zero-COVID measures in December, the country wasn’t ready for a massive onslaught of cases. “It wasn’t a sound public health decision at all,” said a China CDC official, declining to be named to speak candidly on a sensitive matter. At a mid-April internal panel discussion recently made public by the Beijing-based Center for …

DC Edit | Covid isn't over, be cautious
1 year, 9 months ago

DC Edit | Covid isn't over, be cautious

Deccan Chronicle  

After lying low for quite some time, the Covid-19 virus has started rearing its head again in the country. The daily caseload which came down to two digits towards the end of the last year has of late been crossing 1,000; as per the health ministry data, India logged 1,300 new cases, the highest in 140 days, on Thursday while …

Ignoring experts, China’s sudden zero-COVID exit cost lives
1 year, 9 months ago

Ignoring experts, China’s sudden zero-COVID exit cost lives

LA Times  

An elderly patient uses a ventilator in the hallway of the emergency ward in Beijing in January. Chinese state media claimed the decision to open up was based on “scientific analysis and shrewd calculation,” and “by no means impulsive.” But in reality, China’s ruling Communist Party ignored repeated efforts by top medical experts to kick-start exit plans until it was …

WHO accuses China of withholding information on origin of COVID-19
1 year, 9 months ago

WHO accuses China of withholding information on origin of COVID-19

The Hindu  

The World Health Organisation has accused China of withholding information and data that may throw light on the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, and has asked why such information was not shared three years ago. GISAID is a global science initiative and primary source established in 2008 that provides open access to genomic data of influenza viruses and the coronavirus …

China opens borders to tourists after 3 years of restrictions
1 year, 9 months ago

China opens borders to tourists after 3 years of restrictions

The Hindu  

China will, starting March 15, 2023, fully reopen its borders and allow tourists back into the country after three years of pandemic restrictions. Foreigners “with valid visas issued before March 28, 2020 will be allowed to enter China”, the National Immigration Administration said in a notice, adding that it had “decided to adjust policies of foreigners’ visas and entry from …

’China’s Zero Covid Policy completely…’: What Premiere Li Qiang had to say
1 year, 9 months ago

’China’s Zero Covid Policy completely…’: What Premiere Li Qiang had to say

Live Mint  

China got its new Premiere Li Qiang, who delivered his first speech on Monday. During his speech, Qiang vehemently defended the unenviable Zero Covid Policy brought about by the Xi Jinping government in the East Asian country. Qiang said the Zero Covid strategy followed by the country for over three years which hurt its economic growth also led to public …

U.S. to relax COVID testing rules for travelers from China as early as Friday
1 year, 9 months ago

U.S. to relax COVID testing rules for travelers from China as early as Friday

LA Times  

The Biden administration is preparing to relax COVID-19 testing restrictions for travelers from China as soon as Friday, according to two people familiar with the decision. The restrictions were put in place Dec. 28 and took effect Jan. 5 amid the surge in China after the government sharply eased pandemic restrictions and as U.S. health officials expressed concerns that their …

China dismisses FBI statement on COVID-19 lab leak theory
1 year, 9 months ago

China dismisses FBI statement on COVID-19 lab leak theory

Firstpost  

Beijing: For the second day in a row, China on Wednesday dismissed U.S. suggestions that the COVID-19 pandemic may have been triggered by a virus that leaked from a Chinese laboratory. Responding to comments by FBI Director Christopher Wray, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the involvement of the U.S. intelligence community was evidence enough of the “politicization of origin …

The resurgence of COVID-19 needs to be tackled scientifically
1 year, 10 months ago

The resurgence of COVID-19 needs to be tackled scientifically

China Daily  

A medical staff administers a second booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine for a resident through nose at a temporary vaccination site in Haidian district, Beijing, capital of China, Dec 17, 2022. Data from Feb 16 shows that only 1.1 percent of people in China had tested positive after nucleic acid testing nationwide, down from 29.2 percent during the peak; visits …

China says 200 million treated for COVID since November, pandemic ‘decisively’ beaten
1 year, 10 months ago

China says 200 million treated for COVID since November, pandemic ‘decisively’ beaten

LA Times  

Commuters during the morning rush hour in the central business district of Beijing on Thursday. China says more than 200 million of its citizens have been diagnosed and treated for COVID-19 since it lifted strict containment measures beginning in November. With 800,000 of the most critically ill patients having recovered, China has “decisively beaten” the pandemic, according to notes from …

No new Covid variants emerged during China's recent outbreak: Lancet study
1 year, 10 months ago

No new Covid variants emerged during China's recent outbreak: Lancet study

India TV News  

No new Covid-19 variants have emerged in China during the recent surge in infections since the country ended its zero-Covid policy, according to an analysis of cases in Beijing published in The Lancet. The study suggests two existing Omicron sub-variants, BA.5.2 and BF.7, among the most dominant variants in Beijing during 2022, accounted for more than 90 per cent of …

No new Covid variants during recent breakout in China: Lancet study
1 year, 10 months ago

No new Covid variants during recent breakout in China: Lancet study

India Today  

New coronavirus variants did not emerge during the recent outbreak of cases in China, said a study published in the medical journal, The Lancet. Samples of 350 locally acquired infections and 63 imported cases were studied during a five-week period beginning in November 2022 - shortly after China abruptly overturned its strict zero-Covid policy. Further, China also administers inactivated whole …

Experts discuss WHO's recent COVID-related statement
1 year, 10 months ago

Experts discuss WHO's recent COVID-related statement

China Daily  

Editor's note: After the conclusion of its 14th International Health Regulations Emergency Committee, the World Health Organization issued a statement that the novel coronavirus pandemic remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. That requires society to make seasonal arrangements to protect vulnerable groups, like vaccinating the seniors who have a weak immune system and the medical staff who have …

Draft WHO pandemic deal pushes for equity to avoid COVID ’failure’ repeat
1 year, 10 months ago

Draft WHO pandemic deal pushes for equity to avoid COVID ’failure’ repeat

Live Mint  

Governments may have to reserve drugs and vaccines for the World Health Organization to distribute in poorer countries to avoid a repeat of the "catastrophic failure" during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an early draft of a global pandemic agreement. The draft also retains earlier provisions that could see pharmaceutical companies made to release details of any public contracts for …

WHO Says Covid-19 Remains 'Global Health Emergency'
1 year, 10 months ago

WHO Says Covid-19 Remains 'Global Health Emergency'

News 18  

The Covid-19 pandemic continues to be a “global health emergency” and the deadly virus will remain a “permanently established pathogen” in humans and animals for the foreseeable future, according to the World Health Organisation. “Three years ago today, I declared a public health emergency of international concern over the global spread of COVID-19 – the highest level of alarm under …

China’s economic activity expands for the first time in months as Covid ‘exit wave’ ends
1 year, 10 months ago

China’s economic activity expands for the first time in months as Covid ‘exit wave’ ends

CNN  

Hong Kong CNN — Economic activity in China has expanded for the first time in four months as disruptions caused by the abrupt end of its zero-Covid policy appears to be fading. Last week, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report that China’s current wave of Covid outbreak was “nearing an end.” The official PMI …

WHO: COVID still an emergency but nearing ‘inflection’ point
1 year, 10 months ago

WHO: COVID still an emergency but nearing ‘inflection’ point

Associated Press  

GENEVA — The coronavirus remains a global health emergency, the World Health Organization chief said Monday, after a key advisory panel found the pandemic may be nearing an “inflexion point” where higher levels of immunity can lower virus-related deaths. Speaking at the opening of WHO’s annual executive board meeting, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said “there is no doubt that …

COVID is still a global emergency but may be nearing an ‘inflection point,’ WHO says
1 year, 10 months ago

COVID is still a global emergency but may be nearing an ‘inflection point,’ WHO says

LA Times  

COVID-19 remains a global health emergency, the World Health Organization’s chief said Monday, after a key advisory panel found that the pandemic may be nearing an “inflection point” where higher levels of immunity can lower coronavirus-related deaths. Speaking at the opening of the WHO’s annual executive board meeting, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that “there is no doubt that we’re …

China says Covid-19 deaths, severe cases have fallen over 70% since peak
1 year, 10 months ago

China says Covid-19 deaths, severe cases have fallen over 70% since peak

India Today  

Critically ill COVID-19 cases in China are down 72% from a peak early this month while daily deaths among COVID-19 patients in hospitals have dropped 79% from their peak, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday. The CDC said the number of critically ill patients in China peaked on Jan. 4 at 128,000 cases and fell to …

COVID-19 update: China faces challenge due to flawed containment policies, ineffective vaccines, says Report
1 year, 10 months ago

COVID-19 update: China faces challenge due to flawed containment policies, ineffective vaccines, says Report

India TV News  

China COVID-19 update : China is facing a significant challenge in the form of COVID-19, due to the Chinese Communist Party's "flawed and regressive containment policies and ineffective domestically produced vaccines," GeoPolitica.info reported. China's COVID-19 containment strategy has affected Chinese people and has caused major discontent among people in the country, as per the GeoPolitica.info report. Vaccines manufactured in China …

‘In Dec 2022, new Covid infections exceeded 70 lakhs per day’, says China
1 year, 10 months ago

‘In Dec 2022, new Covid infections exceeded 70 lakhs per day’, says China

Live Mint  

China Covid case update: The Chinese authorities have informed that the daily number of Covid cases in the east Asian country had hit a peak of 7 million reported cases per day during December last year. The figures published in China's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention website said, "around December 22, 2022, the number of infected people and the …

As schools are set to resume face-to-face classes in Hong Kong, mainland Chinese students face adjustment problems
1 year, 11 months ago

As schools are set to resume face-to-face classes in Hong Kong, mainland Chinese students face adjustment problems

Firstpost  

Parents and teachers have called for a range of support services for children who may face adjustment problems New Delhi: Thousands of children who live in mainland China and attend Hong Kong schools will return to their campuses for the first time in three years, parents and teachers of students said. According to a report in the South China Morning …

Decoding China’s COVID-19 Policy U-Turn
1 year, 11 months ago

Decoding China’s COVID-19 Policy U-Turn

The Diplomat  

On November 30, several districts in the southern hub metropolis Guangzhou took the lead in lifting a large number of COVID-19-related lockdowns, as well as suspending testing requirements. In face of this, local and provincial administrations – in adherence to official party doctrine concerning “zero COVID” – turned to lockdowns and mass testing campaigns as desperate measures in tackling the …

China logs nearly 13,000 Covid deaths in a week
1 year, 11 months ago

China logs nearly 13,000 Covid deaths in a week

The Hindu  

China reported nearly 13,000 Covid-related deaths in hospitals between January 13 and 19, after a top health official said the vast majority of the population had already been infected. The death toll came a week after China said nearly 60,000 people had died with Covid in hospitals in just over a month -- but there has been widespread scepticism over …

China lifted 'zero covid' policy to eradicate Tibetans from Tibet: Report
1 year, 11 months ago

China lifted 'zero covid' policy to eradicate Tibetans from Tibet: Report

Op India  

After the mass protest against China’s Zero Covid policy, Beijing took a U-turn and loosened up its strict restriction only to use them as a tool to kill and eradicate the Tibetans from Tibet, as per the Voice Against Autocracy. According to the latest report, 100 people alone have died in Lhasa due to Covid since Beijing lifted its strict …

Lessons From COVID: What The World Needs to Learn to Tackle Future Pandemics
1 year, 11 months ago

Lessons From COVID: What The World Needs to Learn to Tackle Future Pandemics

The Quint  

The costly lesson from COVID: why elimination should be the default global strategy for future pandemics Getty Images Imagine it is 2030. An upgraded pandemic response to eliminate at source The process by which the WHO currently decides whether to declare a public health emergency of international concern has drawn criticism for being too slow. Elimination makes sense for other …

Discover Related