A tale of two economies trying to put covid behind them
2 years, 1 month ago

A tale of two economies trying to put covid behind them

Live Mint  

The Chinese Communist Party rarely steps back from mistaken policies. A report in Wednesday’s Financial Times, quoting research from Wigram Capital Advisors, a macro economic research firm I work with part-time, warns of acute ICU shortages early next year. Wigram’s modelling suggests that ICU demand in March could be 10 times higher than China’s underfunded medical system’s capacity, and that daily hospitalizations could hit 70,000 by then. Meanwhile, India’s Q2 GDP growth figure of 6.3% may have triggered an upward revision from the World Bank, but as our former chief statistician Pronab Sen told Karan Thapar on TheWire, our GVA growth of 5.6% in the quarter is “fairly low.” Sen’s worry is that government subsidies have come down, which, along with higher tax receipts, in effect boost GDP growth numbers in the short-term, but deprive people who still need help from the implosion of their livelihoods due to the pandemic. Trouble is, as low single-digit port traffic numbers and recent weak exports show, our economy is decelerating because it’s in a pincer between slowing global growth and persistently high inflation at home.

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History of this topic

How COVID-19 Transformed China’s Domestic and International Trajectory
2 hours, 31 minutes ago

How COVID-19 Transformed China’s Domestic and International Trajectory

The Diplomat  

Five years after the novel coronavirus first emerged, China’s major metropolises bear virtually no visible scars of their unprecedented battle with COVID-19. State media acknowledged that the extremely high gross domestic saving rate – over 44 percent in 2023 – reflects “people’s growing insecurity about the future and their inclination to save as a precaution against risks.” Despite Beijing’s efforts …

Chinese shudders: Fewer people is bad news
11 months, 3 weeks ago

Chinese shudders: Fewer people is bad news

Live Mint  

For an economy already caught in a slowdown, Wednesday’s release of China’s population data made it a double whammy. China’s covid toll was estimated at about 11.1 million last year and 10.4 million in 2022. It now faces an adverse demographic turn, with fewer people who can contribute to economic activity even as an elderly bulge adds to its welfare …

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 …

Highest proportional increase of COVID-19 cases in India: WHO
1 year, 9 months ago

Highest proportional increase of COVID-19 cases in India: WHO

The Hindu  

March 31, 2023 09:27 pm | Updated April 01, 2023 10:48 am IST - NEW DELHI The highest proportional increase of new COVID cases was observed in India, in the Southeast Asia Region, according to the World Health Organisation’s latest data for February 27 to March 26, 2023. Globally, however, nearly 3.6 million new cases and over 25,000 deaths were …

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 Reports 70% Rise In Weekly Covid Hospitalisation, Highest Since Pandemic Outbreak: WHO
1 year, 11 months ago

China Reports 70% Rise In Weekly Covid Hospitalisation, Highest Since Pandemic Outbreak: WHO

ABP News  

The World Health Organization’s weekly report on Thursday showed China reported a large jump in Covid-19 hospitalisations in the week up to January 15. This is the highest weekly figure China has recorded since the virus first emerged more than three years ago, the WHO noted, according to the news agency Reuters. However, the global body said it is still …

2023 New Year Resolutions for Asia’s Biggest Economies
1 year, 11 months ago

2023 New Year Resolutions for Asia’s Biggest Economies

The Diplomat  

Asia’s big economies failed to fire during 2022, weighed down by the continuing COVID-19 pandemic and resulting self-imposed restrictions on economic activity, together with rising interest rates and slowing growth globally. In its latest “World Economic Outlook” report, the IMF projected GDP growth for Asia’s second-largest economy of 2.1 percent in 2022 but just 0.9 percent in 2023, below the …

West's false COVID narratives hold no water
1 year, 11 months ago

West's false COVID narratives hold no water

China Daily  

A woman receives a booster dose in Chaoyang district of Beijing on July 13, 2022. First, some say that China's COVID-19 death toll does not include those who died as a result of delayed or denied medical treatment because of strict COVID-19 control measures. However, China's excess mortality during the pandemic was a negative number, which means China's COVID-19 policy …

China’s economy grows 3% in 2022, hit by lockdowns, Covid surge
1 year, 11 months ago

China’s economy grows 3% in 2022, hit by lockdowns, Covid surge

The Hindu  

China’s economy grew 3% in 2022, the second-slowest growth rate since the last year of Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution in 1976, with the last quarter of the year seeing declining growth as the country dealt with a sweeping COVID-19 surge. The past year, however, has seen China’s “zero-Covid” policy, which was discontinued in early December, extract heavy economic tolls. Kang …

Six fallacies and truths about China's epidemic control
2 years ago

Six fallacies and truths about China's epidemic control

China Daily  

A medical worker injects a booster shot of COVID-19 vaccine for a resident at Aoyuncun Subdistrict in Chaoyang District, Beijing, July 13, 2022. Striving to effectively coordinate the epidemic response with economic and social development, China had won the tough battle against poverty on schedule and finished building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, getting off to a good …

Explained: Why China's COVID surge isn't a threat to other nations
2 years ago

Explained: Why China's COVID surge isn't a threat to other nations

Firstpost  

Majority of nations currently have high immunity and protection against severe disease and death from COVID, in contrast to China at the beginning of this wave China is currently in the midst of a severe wave of COVID infections and deaths. Although vaccination is the safest way to protect against COVID, emerging research shows protection against severe disease is sustained …

Should India be alarmed by China’s COVID surge?
2 years ago

Should India be alarmed by China’s COVID surge?

The Hindu  

With the surge in COVID-19 cases in China, after the easing of its stringent zero-COVID policy in December, there is apprehension that the pandemic could be entering a new, uncertain phase. But there’s been a lot of natural infection over the last three years, and therefore people have built up a good level of protective immunity at the population level. …

WHO worried about surge of COVID in China amid lack of info
2 years ago

WHO worried about surge of COVID in China amid lack of info

Associated Press  

GENEVA — The head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday the agency is “concerned about the risk to life in China” amid the coronavirus’ explosive spread across the country and the lack of outbreak data from the Chinese government. “The reality for China is that many countries they don’t have enough information to base their risk assessment,” he said. …

Unreliable data, new variants? Here's why Covid outbreak in China is causing concern
2 years ago

Unreliable data, new variants? Here's why Covid outbreak in China is causing concern

India Today  

China, a nation of 1.4 billion, is reeling under a Covid outbreak, with some reports estimating 9,000 cases every day. Here's why it's sparking concern: UNRELIABLE DATA China has admitted the scale of the outbreak has become "impossible" to track following the end of mandatory mass testing last month. The global health body World Health Organisation has asked China for …

China economy again on bumpy road as Covid infection surge detracts recovery
2 years ago

China economy again on bumpy road as Covid infection surge detracts recovery

India TV News  

With resurge of Covid cases, China economy once again is staring at downfall trend. "If the virus were highly infectious and everyone's life were in danger, the government wouldn't let go.” On Tuesday, the government announced it would relax restrictions on travel out of China and resume issuing passports for tourist travel for the first time in nearly three years. …

DC Edit | China endangering world again
2 years ago

DC Edit | China endangering world again

Deccan Chronicle  

China’s healthcare system is buckling under the strain of its latest and outlandish decision of taking down all Covid controls so rapidly that the country is endangering the world all over again. From late 2019 in Wuhan where the pathogen may have jumped species to spread panic over the coronavirus to the close of 2022, China took several decisions that …

Explained | What is the threat from global COVID-19 rise?
2 years ago

Explained | What is the threat from global COVID-19 rise?

The Hindu  

The story so far: The Union Ministry of Health has issued a communique to States to resume genome sequencing of new cases of COVID-19, in view of the sudden spurt of cases in some parts of the world. In a letter, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said sequencing of positive case samples will allow the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium network …

COVID-19 China update: Difficult months ahead as 'coronavirus' cases spiral | KNOW WHY
2 years ago

COVID-19 China update: Difficult months ahead as 'coronavirus' cases spiral | KNOW WHY

India TV News  

China COVID-19 cases : Nearly three years after it was first identified in China, the coronavirus pandemic is now spreading through the vast country. “How well do they perform this particular catch up effort might determine some of the outcome.” Hospital conditions in China: Around Baoding and Langfang, hospitals have run out of intensive care beds and staff as severe …

China Covid chaos: 250MILLION people were infected in 20 days, officials estimate
2 years ago

China Covid chaos: 250MILLION people were infected in 20 days, officials estimate

Daily Mail  

Up to 250million people caught Covid in the first 20 days of December in China, officials estimate as the country's pandemic chaos continues to unfold. But the figures are highly unreliable because mass testing in China was abandoned as part of the Government's U-turn China reported no new Covid deaths on Wednesday and subtracted one death from its overall toll, …

In our 'profound interest' that China reins in latest surge in coronavirus infections: Antony Blinken
2 years ago

In our 'profound interest' that China reins in latest surge in coronavirus infections: Antony Blinken

The Hindu  

It is in America's "profound interest" that China reins in the recent surge in coronavirus infections, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said, asserting that there are major implications if the world's second-largest economy remained shut down due to the virus. When asked about the latest surge in COVID-19 cases in China, Mr. Blinken said the U.S. wants to …

‘A very hard road ahead’ for China as COVID-19 cases spiral
2 years ago

‘A very hard road ahead’ for China as COVID-19 cases spiral

Associated Press  

BAZHOU, China — Nearly three years after it was first identified in China, the coronavirus is now spreading through the vast country. The National Health Commission said China had 10 intensive care beds for every 100,000 people on Dec. 9, a total of 138,000 beds, up from 4 for every 100,000 people on Nov. 22. Even taken at face value, …

'A very hard road ahead' for China as COVID-19 cases spiral
2 years ago

'A very hard road ahead' for China as COVID-19 cases spiral

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The National Health Commission said China had 10 intensive …

China’s actual Covid numbers may be much higher than what’s reported: WHO
2 years ago

China’s actual Covid numbers may be much higher than what’s reported: WHO

Live Mint  

Covid numbers in China may be much more than what the official figures show, as per Mike Ryan, the emergencies director at the World Health Organization. More than any other nation, China possesses nine locally made Covid-19 vaccinations that are licensed for use. On December 21, despite China reporting no new Covid deaths in its increasing outbreak and facing criticism …

Covid: What triggered China's deadly wave and should the world worry?
2 years ago

Covid: What triggered China's deadly wave and should the world worry?

India TV News  

CHINA COVID WAVE: China is witnessing a sudden surge in Covid cases and also deaths at a time when the rest of the world,including India has been reporting few infections on daily basis since past several months. The big question is - why Covid cases are rising in China now and whether the world is staring at another deadly wave? …

Serum’s Adar Poonawalla: China covid news ‘concerning’ but India…
2 years ago

Serum’s Adar Poonawalla: China covid news ‘concerning’ but India…

Live Mint  

Amid global concern over covid situation in China and dire predictions by research groups that death toll in China could rise to millions, Adar Poonawalla, the CEO and founder of Serum Institute of India, said in a tweet that though news coming out of China is concerning, “we need not panic given our excellent vaccination coverage and track record. A …

Covid surge in China: What’s the latest situation there? 10 points
2 years ago

Covid surge in China: What’s the latest situation there? 10 points

Live Mint  

China has been gripped by a new Covid wave mostly dominated by Omicron variant. 2) According to the National Health Commission, the country did not record any new Covid-19 related deaths 3) Alongside the risks for China, some global health figures have warned that allowing the virus to spread domestically could also give it space to mutate, potentially creating a …

All hypotheses on Covid origin remain on table, will continue to call China to share data: WHO
2 years ago

All hypotheses on Covid origin remain on table, will continue to call China to share data: WHO

India TV News  

China Covid Blast: World Health Organisation Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has issued a statement in regard to China which is witnessing a sudden rise in Covid cases saying that all hypotheses about the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic remain on the table and that they will continue to call the country to share the data. WHO very serious about …

India heightens watch over China Covid spiral
2 years ago

India heightens watch over China Covid spiral

Hindustan Times  

The Centre on Tuesday formally asked states to step up analysis of positive Covid-19 cases to detect new coronavirus variants, and officials aware of the matter separately said that testing and surveillance at airports could be tightened, as the government moved to deal with potential fallout from a spiralling wave in China. “In view of the sudden spurt of cases …

10% of global population may be Covid infected in next 90 days, expert warns
2 years ago

10% of global population may be Covid infected in next 90 days, expert warns

Live Mint  

Covid cases in China have started surging at an alarming rate forcing the Xi Jinping-led government to rush to create hospitals, the the authorities eased the stringent curbs under the stringent 'Zero Covid policy' a couple of weeks ago. At such a time, epidemiologist and health economist Eric Feigl-Ding has said that China and the rest of the world are …

China rushes to build hospital beds, US says covid situation in China a concern
2 years ago

China rushes to build hospital beds, US says covid situation in China a concern

Live Mint  

China rushed to install hospital beds across cities and build fever screening clinics amid a surge in covid cases in the country. We’ve seen that over the course of many different permutations of this virus and certainly another reason why we are so focused on helping countries around the world address COVID, another reason why bringing this to a close …

China Covid toll concern for world given size of its GDP, economy: US State dep
2 years ago

China Covid toll concern for world given size of its GDP, economy: US State dep

Hindustan Times  

The United States hopes that China can address the current COVID-19 outbreak as the toll of the virus is a global concern due to the size of the Chinese economy, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Monday. "The toll of the virus is of concern to the rest of the world given the size of China's GDP, given the …

China gripped by 1st of three predicted COVID waves as a million projected to die in 2023
2 years ago

China gripped by 1st of three predicted COVID waves as a million projected to die in 2023

Firstpost  

Modelling by the US-based Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation suggests the China could witness an explosion of Covid cases and over a million people in the country could die in 2023, with fatalities peaking around 5,000 per day in April Beijing: Covid has made a comeback in China and this time it is more severe. However, people in the …

China seeing ‘rapid spread’ of COVID-19, wave could last three months
2 years ago

China seeing ‘rapid spread’ of COVID-19, wave could last three months

The Hindu  

China’s current wave of COVID-19 cases, following the recent easing of pandemic restrictions, is seeing a “rapid surge” and the country can expect to see a return to normalcy only after the spring of next year, top epidemiologist and government advisor Zhong Nanshan told State media. Following Wednesday’s easing of pandemic restrictions, including a stop to mass testing, lockdowns and …

China eases some controls but gives no sign when ‘zero COVID’ might end
2 years, 1 month ago

China eases some controls but gives no sign when ‘zero COVID’ might end

LA Times  

Residents in Beijing line up for coronavirus testing next to a wall slogan extolling the political philosophy of Chinese President Xi Jinping. … Restrictions could still tighten dynamically in lower-tier cities should hospitalizations surge.” The changes follow protests demanding an end to “zero COVID” but are in line with earlier Communist Party promises to reduce disruption by easing quarantine and …

Number Theory: Understanding the key numbers behind China’s latest Covid surge
2 years, 1 month ago

Number Theory: Understanding the key numbers behind China’s latest Covid surge

Hindustan Times  

Over the past week, the Covid-19 outbreak in China has dominated headlines. {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} Covid cases in the country are the highest ever on record, yet deaths are not – a trend that should not be surprising, as many countries have experienced this during Omicron waves this year. Cases have touched a record high, yet deaths remain at …

China’s COVID cases to smash records as video shows workers rebel
2 years, 1 month ago

China’s COVID cases to smash records as video shows workers rebel

Al Jazeera  

Chinese authorities are introducing new restrictions across the country as infections look set to pass April’s peak. The restrictions are a new blow to China’s sputtering economic recovery and pour cold water on expectations of a shift away from “zero COVID” after the announcement of separate plans to ease restrictions and revive the ailing real estate sector briefly generated positive …

China’s economy slows sharply, fanning global recession fears
2 years, 5 months ago

China’s economy slows sharply, fanning global recession fears

Al Jazeera  

Second quarter expansion of 0.4 percent is the weakest performance since the initial coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan. China’s economy grew at the slowest pace since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the second quarter, highlighting the punishing economic toll of Beijing’s stringent “dynamic zero COVID” strategy. The world’s second-largest economy expanded just 0.4 percent year on year between April …

China’s economy slows sharply as ‘zero COVID’ pummels activity
2 years, 7 months ago

China’s economy slows sharply as ‘zero COVID’ pummels activity

Al Jazeera  

Lockdowns in dozens of Chinese cities drag consumption and industrial production to lowest levels since early 2020. China’s economy slowed sharply in April as Beijing’s ultra-strict “dynamic zero COVID” strategy dragged consumption and industrial production to their lowest levels since early 2020. As lockdowns forced factories to suspend operations and disrupted supply chains, industrial production fell 2.9 percent from a …

WHO says COVID-19 falling everywhere, except Americas and Africa
2 years, 7 months ago

WHO says COVID-19 falling everywhere, except Americas and Africa

The Hindu  

The number of new coronavirus cases reported worldwide has continued to fall except in the Americas and Africa, the World Health Organisation said in its latest assessment of the pandemic. In its weekly pandemic report released late on May 10, the U.N. health agency said about 3.5 million new cases and more than 25,000 deaths were reported globally, which respectively …

China fights economic slump, sticks to costly 'zero COVID'
2 years, 7 months ago

China fights economic slump, sticks to costly 'zero COVID'

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. However, he said, “achieving ‘zero …

‘Localised’ recessions? China’s economy teeters amid lockdowns
2 years, 7 months ago

‘Localised’ recessions? China’s economy teeters amid lockdowns

Al Jazeera  

Economists warn of negative economic growth in certain sectors and regions if ‘zero COVID’ policy continues. ‘Worst set of numbers’ “The takeaway of what we’re seeing in China right now is hands down the worst set of numbers that we have seen in terms of economic performance since the initial downturn that took place in 2020,” Shehzad Qazi, managing director …

Making sense of WHO's excess Covid-19 death numbers
2 years, 8 months ago

Making sense of WHO's excess Covid-19 death numbers

India Today  

The latest numbers released by the World Health Organisation on May 5 estimate that the total Covid-19 death toll the world over in 2020 and 2021 may be nearly three times more than the reported number. The WHO report said that “the global excess mortality associated with Covid-19 was 14.91 million,” in the 24 months between January 1, 2020, and …

China steers economy through challenges
2 years, 8 months ago

China steers economy through challenges

China Daily  

Editor's note: The Chinese economy faces severe challenges because the wave of the COVID-19 infections could lower GDP growth. MA XUEJING/CHINA DAILY Some foreign media say China's economic growth target of about 5.5 percent is too high, and its economic prospects are unattainable. The"2022 White Paper on the Business Environment in China" and the "2022 Special Report on the State …

Column: The cost of China’s harsh ‘zero COVID’ policy? Human suffering and economic damage
2 years, 8 months ago

Column: The cost of China’s harsh ‘zero COVID’ policy? Human suffering and economic damage

LA Times  

The stories from Shanghai, a city of 25 million entering its fourth week of COVID-19 lockdown, have been harrowing. The damage is impossible to estimate with any accuracy, but big enough that Premier Li Keqiang warned publicly last week that the economy faces “unexpected challenges and mounting downward pressures.” In Greater Shanghai, China’s economic capital, workers cannot reach their jobs. …

US probably WON'T suffer another huge COVID surge similar to China's, experts say
2 years, 9 months ago

US probably WON'T suffer another huge COVID surge similar to China's, experts say

Daily Mail  

Experts say the US is unlikely to experience yet another COVID surge similar to the current infection spike being recorded in China because so many Americans have immunity to the virus, as cases and deaths plummet. China has suffered its largest surge of Covid cases yet this month, reaching a record 14,000 cases per day. Even amid the surge China …

Covid pandemic is not over: WHO's grim reminder 'as global infections rise by 8%'
2 years, 9 months ago

Covid pandemic is not over: WHO's grim reminder 'as global infections rise by 8%'

India Today  

The World Health Organisation on Saturday expressed concern amid a significant rise in coronavirus cases worldwide. There has been a reported increase of 8 per cent or over 11 million Covid-19 cases globally, the world body said in a press conference. COVID PANDEMIC IS NOT OVER WHO's Covid technical lead, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove said there were huge amounts of …

China economy starts the year with a wobble
2 years, 11 months ago

China economy starts the year with a wobble

Live Mint  

BY JONATHAN CHENG | UPDATED JAN 30, 2022 12:54 AM EST Manufacturing and service sector surveys show retreat in January as latest Covid-19 outbreaks hit domestic demand The Chinese economy started the year on an uncertain footing, as Covid-19 flare-ups disrupted factory activity and consumer spending, according to a trio of manufacturing and service sector surveys released Sunday. China’s official …

Living with covid proving tough for a gridlocked world economy
2 years, 11 months ago

Living with covid proving tough for a gridlocked world economy

Live Mint  

The surging omicron variant is complicating the recovery for a world economy that continues to be wracked by supply chain chaos, worker absenteeism and faltering assembly lines. Analysis by Nomura of omicron’s impact on nations hit early like the U.K. and Canada shows shorter duration waves, faster descents from peaks and lower death rates than the delta variant. “While it …

China is risking a big hit to the economy and supply chains with zero-Omicron approach
2 years, 11 months ago

China is risking a big hit to the economy and supply chains with zero-Omicron approach

CNN  

Hong Kong CNN Business — The Chinese government’s unwavering insistence on stamping out any trace of the coronavirus is facing its biggest test yet as authorities grapple with Omicron’s quickening spread. Those revisions come “in light of the latest Covid developments — in particular, the likely higher average level of restriction to contain the more infectious Omicron variant,” Goldman analysts …

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