China battles against ‘severe and complex’ Covid-19 outbreak
CHINA is battling its worst Covid-19 outbreak, driven by the Omicron variant with health officials calling the situation “severe and complex”.
The country has counted more than 56,000 cases since March 1, according to national health officials who gave a press briefing on Friday.
More than half of those cases have been recorded in northeastern Jilin province and include asymptomatic cases as well.
The numbers do not include Hong Kong, which tracks its Covid-19 data separately.
China continues striving to “achieve dynamic zero-Covid in the short term, as it is still the most economical and most effective prevention strategy against Covid-19,” said Wu Zunyou, an infectious disease expert at China’s Centre for Disease Control.
“Only by doing dynamic zeroCovid can we eliminate the hidden dangers of the epidemic, avoid the run on medical resources that may be caused by large-scale infections, and prevent a large number of possible deaths of the elderly or those with underlying diseases.”
The “zero-Covid” strategy relies on lockdowns and mass testing, with close contacts often being quarantined at home or in a central government facility.
The Chinese strategy focuses on eradicating community transmission of the virus as quickly as possible, sometimes by even locking down entire cities.
In recent days, Chinese president Xi Jinping acknowledged the toll of the stringent measures, saying China should seek “maximum effect” with “minimum cost” in controlling the virus. Since then, officials have emphasised that they will ensure their approach and restrictions are targeted.
For example, authorities adjusted mass testing measures so they do not involve entire cities and are targeted instead at specific neighbourhoods or areas, in line with where the virus turns up.
Health officials are especially concerned about people aged 60 and older and spent much of Friday’s press briefing urging people in this group to get vaccinated.