Zero-covid China ‘unsustainable’, says WHO

More than 1.5 million could die if omicron wave hits while so few are jabbed, warn health chiefs

CHINA’S stringent zero-covid strategy is “not sustainable”, the head of the World Health Organisation has warned.

In a rare public criticism of a government’s handling of the pandemic, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus suggested it was “very important” that China shifts away from a zero-tolerance approach in the face of the highly contagious omicron variant.

“When we talk about the zero-covid strategy, we don’t think that it’s sustainable, considering the behaviour of the virus now and what we anticipate in

the future,” Dr Tedros told a press conference. “We have discussed this issue with Chinese experts and we indicated that the approach will not be sustainable. And considering the behaviour of the virus, I think a shift would be very important.”

Frustrations are also mounting as lockdown rules have exacted a heavy toll on the public and the economy.

Dr Mike Ryan, head of the WHO’S emergencies programme, urged China to hit the reset button and show “due respect to individual and human rights”. “We need to balance the control measures against the impact on society, the impact they have on the economy, and that’s not always an easy calibration,” he said.

The intervention comes after researchers warned that China is at risk of unleashing a major omicron wave that could trigger 1.55million deaths and 2.7million intensive care admissions in the next six months, if all restrictions are lifted without boosting both vaccination rates and access to treatments.

The modelling paper, published in Nature by scientists in the US and China, has highlighted the dilemma facing Beijing due to low rates of natural immunity, patchy vaccination coverage and slightly less effective shots.

The study also shines a light on China’s singular approach to Covid.

Experts have already criticised the country for failing to prioritise the elderly in vaccination drives, while resources have been focused on relentless testing, contact tracing and quarantining. Shanghai, which has been locked down for six weeks, has doubled down on its pandemic restrictions and has now shut down the city’s remaining two subway lines.

And, despite mounting frustrations among the public and a sharp fall in cases – from a peak of 26,000 in midapril to roughly 3,000 on Monday – authorities have ordered people in some districts to remain home once again, after allowing limited access to shops.