Covid: Millions stay home in Beijing

BEIJING: Millions of Beijing residents worked and studied from home on Thursday at the end of a five-day Labour Day holiday as Covid-related restrictions continued in the city and the government warned that “hidden” sources of the infection were lurking within communities.

If the holidays were subdued because of Covid-containing protocols, the resumption was equally so. Roads remained relatively empty especially in the most populous Chaoyang district with scores of bus routes suspended, part of Beijing government’s efforts to stamp out the outbreak that has now touched the 550-infection mark.

Subway trains didn’t stop at dozens of usually busy junctions, which have also been shut down with authorities not saying when the routes will be reopened. From Thursday, a negative nucleic acid test result taken within seven days has been made mandatory to enter public venues and use public transport.

Beijing will continue its epidemic-control measures - initially announced for the May Day holidays between April 30 to May 4 which includes the delay in reopening of primary and middle schools and the closure of entertainment, cultural and sports venues. Dining in restaurants continues to be banned as well until further notice. Beijing still has scattered and hidden sources of Covid-19 infections “at the community level”, and the transmission routes are yet to be blocked entirely, Pang Xinghuo, deputy director at Beijing Municipal Health Commission said on Thursday.

Blinken tests positive

The state department said Wednesday that secretary of state Antony Blinken has tested positive for Covid after attending the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and related events over the weekend. Spokesman Ned Price said Blinken tested positive in a PCR test on Wednesday afternoon. Price said Blinken is fully vaccinated and is experiencing mild symptoms.

‘Omicron not less severe’

The Omicron variant of the Sars-cov2 virus is intrinsically as severe as previous variants, unlike assumptions made in previous studies that it was more transmissible but less severe, a large study in the US has found.

“We found that the risks of hospitalization and mortality were nearly identical between periods,” said four scientists who conducted the study based on records of 130,000 Covid-19 patients, referring to times in the past two years when different variants were dominant. The study, which is undergoing peer review at Nature Portfolio, was posted on Research Square.