China abandons zero-Covid

CHINA has reported 60,000 Coronavirus-related deaths in just over a month. This comes as the country ends its strict zero-Covid policy.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic in early 2020, the Chinese government has been draconian in its attempts to control the virus — often no matter the cost to the Chinese people and economy. Using a mix of technology, mass mobilisation and repression, Chinese premier Xi Jinping has led the way towards a zero-tolerance policy for Covid, including strict lockdowns wherever any cases of Covid arise.

Now, with the Omicron variant spreading like wildfire in China, the government has opted for a new strategy: abandon zero-Covid and instead present Omicron as less severe compared to earlier variants like the Delta variant, which poses less of a risk for public health. Sun Chunlan, Vice-Premier and Covid chief, has declared that China has “withstood the test” of Covid and is now in a “new situation”.

Despite this optimistic outlook by the state, foreign epidemiologists have instead warned that China is ill-prepared for its first mass wave of Covid infections. Professor Linda Bauld of Edinburgh University, who aided the UK’s

Covid strategy, has said “China has to find a way out of this. So, I think it’s quite helpful for them to be able to argue that the virus has evolved in some way that makes it easier to open up. With Omicron, certainly from the studies [so far], there may be some small reduction in disease severity but not a huge one.” group being most vulnerable to the Omicron variant. Lastly, Covid served to expose the weakness of the Chinese health system. Many foreign observers are concerned that the early scenes in Wuhan could be repeated, as the healthcare in China has only been weakened further under the strain of treating Covid patients. economy will grow at a slower rate than its neighbours. There have also been protests across China, a rare occurrence in a nation which has an iron grip on students. This helps the universities’ funding squeeze as international students pay higher fees, but increased reliance on international students put universities at risk should Britain lose its global prestige. The UK has been facing a shift in the last 75 years from global superpower to an increasingly poorly defined role — particularly following debate surrounding the Brexit referendum in 2016. More recently, the country has suffered the embarrassment of having four prime ministers in four years, leading to increased concerns over its national prestige.

China is facing a triple threat, which will likely mean the Omicron wave will be more severe than political leaders hope. Unlike much of the rest of the world, the Chinese public do not have a high level of natural immunity from previous Covid infections. Only two million cases of Covid had been registered by the Chinese government prior to the latest wave, compared to the UK’s 22 million confirmed cases.

Many are pointing to the Spring outbreak in Hong Kong for signs of how a nationwide wave could proceed. Even with a superior healthcare system to the mainland, Hong Kong suffered greatly, with a death rate under Omicron that was similar to the death rate during the first wave of Covid in the UK, according to Julian Tang, a clinical virologist at Leicester University.

The Chinese government is now launching a vaccination drive geared towards older citizens, many of whom made up the 60,000 victim count over the past month. However, China is only using domestic vaccines, which are less effective than the mRNA alternatives produced by Pfizer and Moderna.

Increased reliance on international students puts universities at risk its media and has harsh punishments for dissent. Only time will tell how effective China’s new Covid policy will be and what long-term effects it will have.

Universities across the UK will have no choice but to look into more consistent and sustainable forms of funding for the future. Tuition fees from domestic students are not enough and the stream of international students may not last forever.

Chinese citizens also have low vaccination and booster rates, particularly among the over-80s. Only 40 per cent have had a booster shot, despite this age

The Chinese government’s approach to Covid thus far has led to wider consequences than just public health. The World Bank has forecast that China’s