Shanghai Lockdown: Is China’s ‘Zero COVID’ strategy beginning to backfire? | In Focus podcast
2 years, 8 months ago

Shanghai Lockdown: Is China’s ‘Zero COVID’ strategy beginning to backfire? | In Focus podcast

The Hindu  

At a time when most parts of the world are easing COVID restrictions and even mask mandates, Shanghai is in the middle of a brutal lockdown. Shanghai’s 25 million residents seem to be increasingly fed up with the government’s ‘Zero COVID’ policy, which has caused supply chain bottle necks resulting in shortages of food and other essentials, and denial of medical care for patients with non-COVID illnesses. Is it a case of the ‘Zero COVID’ strategy backfiring? Given that President Xi Jinping has taken personal ownership of the ‘Zero COVID’ strategy, is China likely to make a course correction in view of the economic fallout and public disenchantment with the stringent lockdown measures?

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History of this topic

Will China attempt economic revival markets seek post-COVID with multi-trillion-yuan initiatives?
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Will China attempt economic revival markets seek post-COVID with multi-trillion-yuan initiatives?

Live Mint  

China is expected to unveil significant economic measures Friday at the conclusion of the National People's Congress Standing Committee meeting, aiming to revive its struggling economy, AP reported. Analysts believe China may need substantial, multi-trillion-yuan initiatives to reinvigorate growth in the world’s second-largest economy, which has yet to recover fully from the COVID-19 pandemic. Any new spending or economic boost …

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 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’s Management of Covid-19 Crisis: A Case Study in Disinformation and Censorship - News18
11 months, 2 weeks ago

China’s Management of Covid-19 Crisis: A Case Study in Disinformation and Censorship - News18

News 18  

Censorship, surveillance, and authoritarianism have become synonyms with China in recent years. The court observed that had the government officials heeded to the warnings from the detained healthcare workers and adopted precautionary measures than taking punitive measures by labelling them as rumourmonger, “it would’ve meant we could better control the coronavirus today.” Dr Li contracted covid19 on January 8, 2020, …

China emerged from 'zero-COVID' in 2023 to confront new challenges in a changed world
1 year ago

China emerged from 'zero-COVID' in 2023 to confront new challenges in a changed world

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US 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. “This year started on a such …

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 …

‘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 …

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 …

What is the mysterious pneumonia outbreak in China?
1 year, 1 month ago

What is the mysterious pneumonia outbreak in China?

Al Jazeera  

The WHO has asked China for more information on the undiagnosed respiratory illness that has spiked since October 2023. As China experiences its first winter without strict COVID-19 restrictions since the outbreak of the pandemic three years ago, a wave of respiratory illnesses is sweeping across the country. On Wednesday, the WHO asked China to release information on the recent …

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 …

‘Went to meet Xi Jinping but…’: WHO chief urges China for ‘full access’ on Covid
1 year, 3 months ago

‘Went to meet Xi Jinping but…’: WHO chief urges China for ‘full access’ on Covid

Hindustan Times  

The World Health Organisation's chief urged China to offer more information on the origins of Covid-19 and as the health body is ready to send a second team to probe the matter, it was reported. “We’re pressing China to give full access, and we are asking countries to raise it during their bilateral meetings — to co-operate,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus …

China Omits Cremation Data to Hide True Pandemic Death Toll following Lifting of Covid Zero
1 year, 6 months ago

China Omits Cremation Data to Hide True Pandemic Death Toll following Lifting of Covid Zero

News 18  

A Chinese quarterly report on marriage and social welfare for the fourth quarter of 2022 dropped the section highlighting the number of cremations held last winter, indicating that it withheld a key indicator of the pandemic death toll when China faced its largest wave of Covid-19 cases. If the data were released, the quarterly or year-on-year comparison could be used …

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 …

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 …

China and the US are on a slow but sure collision course
1 year, 7 months ago

China and the US are on a slow but sure collision course

Live Mint  

I recently attended the China Development Forum in Beijing, an annual gathering of senior foreign business leaders, academics, former policymakers and top Chinese officials. This year’s conference was the first to be held in person since 2019, and it offered Western observers an opportunity to meet China’s new senior leadership, including new Premier Li Qiang. Li’s joke included an implicit …

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 …

China says it’s been ‘open and transparent’ on COVID origins
1 year, 9 months ago

China says it’s been ‘open and transparent’ on COVID origins

Associated Press  

BEIJING — China on Tuesday pushed back at renewed suggestions that the COVID-19 pandemic could have been the result of a lab leak, saying it has been “open and transparent” in the search for the virus’ origins. Recently, the U.S. Department of Energy assessed with “low confidence” that the pandemic that was first detected in the central Chinese city of …

It’s confirmed! China Lab leak triggered Covid pandemic, but was it an accident?
1 year, 9 months ago

It’s confirmed! China Lab leak triggered Covid pandemic, but was it an accident?

Live Mint  

The coronavirus pandemic most likely was caused by a leak in a Chinese laboratory, a classified intelligence report of the US Energy Department has revealed, according to the Wall Street Journal. This report nonetheless, affirms that the covid pandemic was a leak, an accident and not part of Chinese biological-weapons program, the people who have read the classified report said …

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 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 …

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 …

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, 10 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 …

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 …

China says critical COVID cases have peaked as holiday travel surges
1 year, 11 months ago

China says critical COVID cases have peaked as holiday travel surges

The Hindu  

The number of COVID patients needing critical care in China's hospitals has peaked, health authorities said on Thursday, as millions travelled across the country for long-awaited reunions with families, raising fears of fresh outbreaks. There has been widespread scepticism over China's official COVID data since it abruptly axed anti-virus controls last month that had shielded China's 1.4 billion people from …

Hong Kong to scrap isolation rule for new COVID-19 cases
1 year, 11 months ago

Hong Kong to scrap isolation rule for new COVID-19 cases

Associated Press  

HONG KONG — Hong Kong will scrap its mandatory isolation rule for people infected with COVID-19 starting Jan. 30 as part of its strategy to return the semi-autonomous Chinese city to normalcy, the city’s leader said Thursday. For most of the pandemic over the last three years, Hong Kong has aligned itself with mainland China’s “zero COVID” strategy, requiring those …

Hong Kong to scrap isolation rule for new COVID-19 cases
1 year, 11 months ago

Hong Kong to scrap isolation rule for new COVID-19 cases

Firstpost  

For most of the pandemic, Hong Kong has aligned itself with China’s zero-COVID strategy, requiring those who tested positive to undergo quarantine. Many residents once had to be sent to hospitals or government-run quarantine facilities even when their symptoms were mild Hong Kong: Hong Kong will scrap its mandatory isolation rule for people infected with COVID-19 from 30 January as …

China's chicanery continues as doctors told not to cite Covid on death certificates – Firstpost
1 year, 11 months ago

China's chicanery continues as doctors told not to cite Covid on death certificates – Firstpost

Firstpost  

Beijing: Doctors in China have been instructed not to write Covid-induced respiratory failure on death certificates. Six doctors from public hospitals across China told Reuters that they have received similar oral instructions which discourage them to put Covid as the cause of death on certificates. “We have stopped classifying COVID deaths since the reopening in December,” a doctor at a …

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 …

Opinion: In China’s countryside, a Covid-19 tsunami is brewing
1 year, 11 months ago

Opinion: In China’s countryside, a Covid-19 tsunami is brewing

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Yanzhong Huang is a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations and a professor at Seton Hall University School of Diplomacy and International Relations, specializing in Asia. An elderly rural population Is China’s rural healthcare system able to withstand skyrocketing Covid-19 cases? Is China’s rural healthcare system able to withstand skyrocketing Covid-19 cases? A …

Explained: How 'zero COVID' workers are causing unrest in China
1 year, 11 months ago

Explained: How 'zero COVID' workers are causing unrest in China

Firstpost  

In the eastern city of Hangzhou, several COVID workers climbed on the roof of a test kit factory and threatened to jump to protest unpaid furloughs. At a separate test manufacturing plant in the city, workers protested for days over a wage dispute After China’s abrupt reversal of “zero COVID” restrictions, the nation’s vast machinery of virus surveillance and testing …

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 …

China's Covid death data hides true toll: Report
1 year, 11 months ago

China's Covid death data hides true toll: Report

India TV News  

China Covid update: The nearly 60,000 Covid-related deaths China reported for the first five weeks of its current outbreak, the largest the world has ever seen, may underestimate the true toll by hundreds of thousands of fatalities, experts were quoted as saying in a media report. China's abrupt pivot from Covid Zero in early December unleashed a surge of omicron …

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