image source,Getty Images
The absolute dominant strains of the novel coronavirus currently circulating in China are Omicron BA.5.2 and BF.7. Health officials said that the XBB.1.5 mutant strain that is prevalent in the United States and other places “has not formed an advantage in transmission in China.”
A sudden reversal in China’s anti-epidemic policies over the past month has led to a wave of new crown infections sweeping the country. The booster vaccination rate of the new crown vaccine for the elderly in China is not high, and the choice of vaccine is relatively simple. How to prevent the elderly from getting infected has become a worrying issue for every household. Especially for rural families, under the rapid unblocking, people worry about whether the medicine and medical system will be overwhelmed.
But ending the three-year strict epidemic prevention measures also has supporters. Some young people in China told the BBC that they hoped that life would “return to normal” after the lockdown was lifted.
Wang Zhihong, a professor of pediatrics and health policy at Stanford University in the United States, told the BBC that in the face of future epidemic situations, given the large number of infections, China should “systematically collect data on emerging virus variants to ensure that there are no new variants.” pose a greater threat than existing variants.”
Wang Zhihong believes that the Chinese government should also prepare routine antipyretic drugs and effective antiviral drugs for patients with the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19). In the face of a new generation of more effective mRNA vaccines, it may be time for Beijing to seriously review its vaccine policy.
Dr. He Meixiang, an epidemiologist and a part-time researcher at the Academia Sinica in Taiwan, said that when analyzing the new crown epidemic in China, she thinks it is an “irreversible case.” She posted an analysis on Facebook, “The only thing to worry about now is the new mutant strain… However, the continuous pressure of international public opinion (including WHO) still has some effect. China is finally going to increase the monitoring of the virus’s genetic sequence.”
According to public reports, the absolute dominant strains of the new coronavirus currently circulating in China are Omicron BA.5.2 and BF.7. Health officials said that the XBB.1.5 mutant strain that is prevalent in the United States and other places “has not formed a transmission advantage in China.”
The BBC interviewed some Chinese families and young people to understand their views on the rapid unblocking. Some family members expressed concern about the elderly being infected with the epidemic.
In December 2022, when Mr. Chen’s 85-year-old father fell ill due to infection with the new crown, he was unable to call an ambulance or get his father to see a doctor. They went to the well-known Chaoyang Hospital in Beijing, where they were told to either try another hospital or sit in the hospital corridor and get an IV drip.
Mr Chen told the BBC that there were “no beds, no ventilators, no medical equipment”. Later, the family managed to find a bed for the old man in another hospital, but only through a special contact, and the old man had developed a serious lung infection at that time. The old man has now recovered, but Mr. Chen is worried that a second infection may kill his father.
He believes that the three years of new crown prevention and control measures are completely wasted and failed. Relaxed too fast, not prepared, too many people infected.
image source,Getty Images
For the past three years, state media has described the novel coronavirus as a dangerous threat to human society and vowed that the government will implement “dynamic zeroing” to ensure the safety of people’s lives. In recent weeks, though, that rhetoric has changed dramatically.
“The epidemic will come again. For the elderly, they can only rely on their lives.” Mr. Chen said.
Beijing quickly reversed its controversial “dynamic zeroing” policy, with the final step falling on Sunday (January 8) to reopen borders for international travel. With the sudden and complete abolition of large-scale nucleic acid testing and strict epidemic prevention and isolation, many families like Mr. Chen remain highly cautious about the future.
But some young Chinese citizens feel very differently. None of the interviewees spoke on condition of anonymity.
Some told the BBC they had been exposed “voluntarily” to the infection. In Shanghai, a 27-year-old programmer who was not vaccinated said he had voluntarily been exposed to the virus.
“Because I don’t want to change my holiday plans. If I time my infection intentionally, I can make sure I recover during the holiday and don’t get infected again,” he told the BBC. He admitted that he did not expect the infection to cause muscle soreness, but said the symptoms were basically in line with what he expected.
Another 26-year-old woman from Shanghai told reporters that she deliberately met up with a friend who tested positive for the antigen, “so that I can also be infected.” But she said the recovery process was not easy: “I thought it would be like a cold, but more painful.”
image source,Getty Images
In big cities at least, people have returned to shopping malls, restaurants and parks, and even queuing for visas and passports.
In addition, a woman from Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, who works in a state-owned enterprise told the BBC that she was very excited when she heard that the Chinese border had reopened. The 29-year-old is excited to see live performances across China again.
“Life becomes ridiculous when I have to ask permission from my manager to travel. I just want life to get back to normal,” she said. “But I do worry about the elderly.”
The woman explained that when her grandfather contracted COVID-19, he refused to go to the hospital even though his condition worsened. And reports of overwhelmed hospitals and crematoria in China — she says she has heard of massive backlogs of dead bodies in funeral homes — have only fueled those concerns.
She said that she has not tested positive yet, but her husband has confirmed the diagnosis. Now, she wears a mask 24/7 at home, even when she sleeps.
“I don’t want us to get sick at the same time, but I’m not afraid of this virus because severe cases are rare.”
Normal days back?
In big cities at least, people have returned to malls, restaurants and parks, and even lined up for visas and passports.
The state-run Global Times declared that “normal life is back,” and said this conclusion came from interviews with Chinese people.
But if normal times do return, it will be an uncomfortable “back to normal” for many.
For example, Ms. Liu’s husband has severe diabetes, so he has never been vaccinated against the new crown. She has been staying indoors since the lockdown was lifted and sanitized everything delivered to her home, but the couple still tested positive.
Their daughter, who was also infected with the virus, had to hunt around in Beijing’s cold winter for Paxlovid, an anti-coronavirus drug made by Pfizer, and finally bought one on the black market for 7,500 yuan (about £918). box.
In just one month, China no longer insisted on dynamic zeroing, and replaced it with an official statement that the Omicron variant is weak in pathogenicity.
Ms Liu told the BBC, “My husband’s recovery from COVID-19 went very smoothly. It is a great comfort to me.”
“But what will happen to him when the second wave of the epidemic hits?” Ms. Liu asked rhetorically.
Paxlovid is used in many countries to treat COVID-19. Clinical trial results show that this oral drug can significantly reduce the risk of hospitalization or death. The World Health Organization (WHO) calls it “the best treatment option for high-risk patients,” but the drug is very rare in China.
In February last year, China’s State Food and Drug Administration had urgently approved the import and sale of Paxlovid with conditions, but the authorities announced on Sunday (January 8) that due to the high price of the drug, Paxlovid was not included in the Chinese Medical Insurance List, which means that the government Will not pay for this drug.
Another Beijing resident, Ms. Wang, and her family managed to pre-order Paxlovid before it became too expensive, and also pre-ordered an oxygen concentrator and oximeter for her grandfather. He is not infected with the new crown, but his grandfather is in his 90s.
“In any case, the easing of lockdowns is good for the economy. Businesses are recovering quickly,” she said, adding that hotels, restaurants and shopping malls are now packed again.
image source,Getty Images
The booster vaccination rate of the elderly in China is not high, and the choice of vaccine is relatively simple. How to prevent the elderly from getting infected has become a worrying issue for every household.
“Worst year ever”
But outside the big cities, it’s hard to know how people — especially those in rural areas — are responding to the shift in government measures.
For three years, state media has described the novel coronavirus as a dangerous threat to human society and vowed to insist on “dynamic zeroing” to ensure the safety of people’s lives. In recent weeks, though, that rhetoric has shifted dramatically, with doctors regularly calling for calm from bewildered people.
Ms. Li, 52, a Beijing resident, said the government “did the right thing” in the first two years, but should have ended its zeroing policy in early 2022.
“Now we’re finally loosening all the controls, but it was so sudden. The government could have done it in stages, region by region. And winter is the worst season. Why not wait until spring 2023 to open? Why not? The government is opening. Are there enough resources in place?” she said.
Ms Lee added: “2022 will be the worst year for us. I can only pray that 2023 won’t be worse.”