TIME TO MAKE VACCINES PRIORITY, EXPERT URGES
Call by ‘China’s Dr Fauci’ to concentrate on lowering severe cases follows repeated signals from Beijing indicating a shift from zero-Covid policy
China should no longer aim for zero infections but focus on lowering severe or symptomatic cases, an expert regarded as “China’s Dr Fauci” has said.
The call from Zhang Wenhong – leader of the Shanghai team tackling Covid-19 – comes as repeated signals from Beijing indicate a shift in the country’s strict anti-pandemic policy.
Those signals seem to have become more frequent since protests across the country against the stringent measures in place for three years.
Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan, top enforcer of the anti-pandemic policy, said last Wednesday that Covid prevention had entered “a new chapter”, pledging that more adjustments were on the way.
Addressing a medical forum on Saturday, Zhang emphasised the need for greater vaccine coverage and earlier drug intervention, saying vaccination appeared to limit the mutation of the Covid-19 virus.
“Through vaccination and drug treatment, we may have entered a phase where we can tame and control the virus,” said Zhang, one of China’s most trusted public health figures who is often compared with Dr Anthony Fauci, the top US
infectious disease expert and pandemic adviser.
Zhang’s views sparked discussion on the next stage of pandemic control, as cities heed the call from Beijing and gradually roll back mass polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing.
But with policy directions still contradictory, some cities remain hesitant to ease control measures. There is also no indication yet whether China will open further or relax all controls altogether as most other countries have done.
Health authorities in Beijing have asked hospitals and public transport operators not to turn away those without a negative PCR test from the past 48 hours, as was required before. And some residents said positive cases were told they could quarantine at home instead of government isolation centres.
However, the government on Saturday sought to dispel rumours that the city was going to “open up completely” and stop all mass PCR tests. Yin Li, the Communist Party chief for Beijing, said the city needed to prevent new largescale outbreaks, and preventive measures, such as mandatory mask-wearing, social distancing and pushing for elderly vaccination, were still needed.
Beijing reported nearly 3,200 infections yesterday, as the nationwide total crossed 31,600. City residents spoke of confusion and chaos over the past few days. Though they were allowed to leave their homes, PCR tests were required for entry to office buildings and shopping centres, and dining-in at most restaurants remained suspended.
“I started ordering takeaway, but they don’t have enough manpower to deliver,” said Wendy Wang, a resident of Chaoyang district. “Also, because there are fewer PCR stations, I have to stand in queue for a long time and the results come out slower.”
After several rounds of complaints, the Chaoyang district government apologised on Saturday night and reopened some testing booths.
Shenzhen said on Saturday that PCR tests would no longer be required for public transport, and commuters need only display a green code on their app-based Covid tracker.
PCR requirements have been scrapped for entry to public parks and resorts, with some residential compounds, malls and office buildings also following suit.
The past year has seen Shenzhen implement some of the strictest measures in the country, requiring residents to test almost daily. Nearly all shopping centres, public venues and residential compounds required a negative test within 24 or 48 hours to allow entry, and community officials even visited homes or called residents if they failed to test for a few days.
The Shanghai government yesterday said a negative test result would no longer be needed to use public transport and visit public parks from today. More measures would be implemented in the future, according to national policy shifts and the local Covid19 situation, it said.
Some smaller cities have also tweaked their policies, including Fuzhou in the southeast and Taiyuan in central China, with people not intending to leave home no longer required to test.
However, there have been some conflicting messaging as well, such as from Jinzhou in northeastern Liaoning province.
On Thursday, a government statement urged the public to cooperate on zero-Covid, saying: “We are so close to the goal, it would be a shame to give it up!”
But a day later, it reversed gear and announced it would open up, including allowing shops and factories to reopen, and easing movement restrictions.
We may have entered a phase where we can tame and control the virus
ZHANG WENHONG, PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERT