Chinese cities step up Covid curbs

BEIJING: Cities across China are rolling out swift measures from mass-testing drives to lockdowns for just a mere handful of Covid cases, aiming to keep flareups at bay and avoid the economic and social hardship endured by Shanghai.

Beijing on Thursday locked down some communities, moved several schools online and suspended gatherings in public spaces.

The city reported 50 Covid cases for April 27, pushing the caseload to around 150 so far, amid ongoing mass nucleic acid testing of the vast majority of Beijing’s 22 million residents by Saturday. Children from six schools and two kindergartens accounted for 31% of the infections.

In some of the locked down communities, located in “control areas”, new rounds of testing will be carried out on alternative days until May 4.

For the Communist Party of China (CPC), keeping Beijing safe – and mostly running – is top priority as the party’s leadership, who stay in the city in a highly secure and secretive compound, prepares for the twice-a-decade reshuffle later this year.

The megacity of Guangzhou on Thursday cancelled hundreds of flights and began testing 5.6 million people over one suspected Covid case.

The major trade and manufacturing hub in southern China announced mass testing for almost a third of its near 19 million residents after an “abnormal” test result was detected at its airport, where most flights have been cancelled.

Hangzhou, an e-commerce hub a short train ride from Shanghai, has started a mass testing drive. And the port city of Qinhuangdao, along with Yiwu -- known for its production of Christmas decorations -- have gone into full or partial lockdowns.

The hard-line responses reflect the growing stakes local governments face in wrestling with the highly infectious omicron strain before it takes hold, plunging cities into protracted lockdowns that incur heavy costs on residents and businesses.

Shanghai, which has become the biggest hotspot in China’s worst outbreak since the virus first emerged in Wuhan, has endured a month of lockdown that has kept most of the city’s 25 million residents confined to their homes.

The outbreak now appears to be stabilising, with cases falling for a fifth day on Wednesday to 10,662 - the lowest in more than three weeks.

Shanghai along with Jilin have accounted for about 95% of infections in the nationwide Omicron outbreak.

The outbreaks are expected to hit tourism during next week’s May national holiday with domestic trips down by about 62% compared with the same period last year.

Moderna seeks US OK for vaccine for kids under 6

US biotech firm Moderna said Thursday it had submitted a request for an emergency use authorisation in the United States for its Covid vaccine for children aged six months to under six years.

Very young children are the only group that are yet to be eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine in the United States and in most countries, a source of concern for many parents. In March, the company announced results from a trial that showed the twoshot regimen was found to be safe and produced a strong immune response.

Specifically, two doses of 25 micrograms given to babies, toddlers and preschoolers generated similar levels of antibodies as two doses of 100 micrograms given to young people aged 18-25, indicating there would be similar levels of protection against serious cases of the virus.

With inputs from agencies