China tightened the blockade order with more than 37 million people, what is really happening now?
The Covid-19 outbreak is spreading rapidly in China compared to the less infectious variants that occurred earlier. The number of daily cases skyrocketed from a few dozen cases in February to more than 5,100 cases recorded on March 15, a record high number since the outbreak occurred in early 2020 in Wuhan.
For other countries, this number seems still quite low, but it is an alarming rate when China is strictly implementing the Zero-Covid policy with many efforts to quell and prevent the chains of infection. infection during the pandemic.
As of March 15, infections continuously appeared in 21 provinces and cities nationwide, including the capital Beijing and other major cities such as Shanghai and Shenzhen. Although the number of cases is holding in the thousands, now 37 million people are under lockdown.
Image of a deserted street in Changchun city, China.
And here’s what we know about China right now:
Where did the outbreak come from?
The number of cases began to increase rapidly from early March in several provinces across the country, including Shandong province in the east, Guangdong in the south and Jilin in the northeast.
On March 6, experts were warned of the “alarming” situation in some places, but they still believe that “China is completely controllable“, the Global Times reported at the time.
More than 4,000 infections were recorded in Jilin. As such, nearly half of the outbreak’s cases have come from here, and officials warn that’s still far from the peak.
Authorities and media say it is not yet clear how the first outbreaks originated. However, according to Wu Zunyou, the head of the epidemiology team at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a number of factors including cases of infection from abroad and the spread of the Omicron variant as well. aggravate the epidemic situation across the country.
Which variant is spreading?
Omicron is becoming a factor causing the number of infections to increase. According to local media, one of the reasons why the epidemic has become so difficult to control is that Omicron’s symptoms are milder and the incubation period is shorter.
Currently, this new variant has replaced Delta as the dominant virus strain in the country with about 80% of total infections. Mr. Wu also added that experts are seeing both BA.1 (the original Omicron form) and BA.2, a sub-variant nicknamed the “stealth variant” because at first glance through the tests. Tested in the lab, it may look like other strains of Covid.
According to early studies from the UK and Denmark, BA.2 is about 30% more infectious than BA.1. The World Health Organization says this variant is causing about a fifth of Covid-19 cases worldwide, with cases detected in dozens of countries including the US. BA.2 was also detected in the outbreak in Jilin.
It’s not yet clear whether the new strain causes more severe illness, but some studies suggest it’s likely to lead to fewer hospitalizations and deaths. Partly because it appeared so soon after the initial wave of Omicrons, many people now have protective antibodies from a previous infection or from a booster shot.
How is the blockade and strict restrictions going?
Five major cities with more than 37 million inhabitants are experiencing varying degrees of blockade. Residents in Changchun, Jilin City, Shenzhen and Dongguan are all prohibited from leaving their residence areas, except for those on essential duties and emergency services. Each household is only allowed to have one person buy food and goods after 2-3 days. Langfang City even asked all residents not to leave their homes except for really urgent cases.
People line up to perform screening tests in Shenzhen, China.
Many cities have halted public transport, on-site dining, closed schools and conducted extensive inspections. Jilin City began its ninth screening test on March 15, with many images showing people waiting in long lines outside in the cold snow.
Jilin has also implemented travel restrictions, people are not allowed to leave the province or move between cities in the province. However, this blockade poses a major supply chain challenge for the government when CCTV announced that the province only has enough supplies of medical materials and goods for a few more days.
Authorities are currently racing to be able to strengthen the health care workforce in hard-hit areas. According to Global Times, many field treatment centers have been built in Changchun and Jilin cities, and thousands of soldiers have also been mobilized to help in disease control.
Can China keep its Zero-Covid policy?
As the Delta and Omcicron variants become more and more widespread in 2021, many countries have abandoned the Zero-Covid approach and are instead trying to live with the epidemic.
China and neighboring regions, including Hong Kong, are also experiencing an unprecedented wave of severe epidemics. Although some leaders and scientists have hinted that China will eventually abandon this strategy, that is unlikely to happen in the near future given the many indications that the country is still trying. bring the number of cases back to 0.
Medical staff wear protective gear and carry disinfectant tools at many streets.
Han Jun, governor of Jilin province, has announced that it will bring community cases to an end within a week. Meanwhile, the city of Xi’an was under lockdown from December to January. Many residents complained that they were not receiving food, basic supplies such as tampons and even medical care. emergency.
“It is better to be fully equipped and then gradually reduce the number of infections. If you are in a hurry, people will suffer a lot“, commented on Weibo said.
Source: CNN, Global Times
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