Why is Covid situation so bad in China? Know why 2 million lives are in danger

Covid 19 outbreak in China has sparked rare anti-governmental protests in the country. Authorities are rushing to censor the massive outpour of dissenting content on social media as people rise up in arms against China’s draconian Zero Covid approach. China on Tuesday recorded 38,645 cases, after China registered a record daily high of 40,347 cases the previous day. The outbreak has forced the Chinese government to resort to imposing strict lockdown measures in cities including Shanghai and Beijing, prompting people to hit the streets. By Sunday, Chinese students also joined the anti-Covid protests, who held demonstrations on university campuses. Protests also spread to Chengdu, Guangzhou and Wuhan, where residents called for not only an end to Covid restrictions.

How bad is the Covid situation in China?

When the world is looking ready to bidding adieu to the Covid pandemic, China seems to sidestepping the trend here as the country has set a new daily high of Covid cases this week only. China relied too much on its mass testing and quarantine policy, which helped it suppress the pandemic in the beginning but is backfiring now.

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A deadly fire on Thursday in Urumqi became a fresh catalyst for public anger, with many blaming Covid lockdowns for stymieing rescue efforts. At least 10 people were killed in the incident, forcing people to go all out against the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese government. People in Shanghai were also seen chanting slogans against Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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Why is the Covid pandemic going out of control in China

It’s mainly because of poor vaccines. China didn’t import vaccines from other nations and kept using its own vaccines with low efficacy. Despite the obvious political difficulties in admitting the shortcomings of its domestic vaccines, many infectious disease experts believe China should now import the mRNA vaccines produced by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.

Fatigue and doubt about vaccines are additional factors. Prof. Devi Sridhar, chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, claims in a piece for the Guardian that statistics show only about 40% of people over 80 have received a booster shot, and millions of people are still unvaccinated. Zero Covid policy ensured that people remain unexposed to the Coronavirus, thus not allowing them natural immunity. People who were inoculated with poor Chinese vaccines in the beginning also seem to have lost their immunity to the deadly virus. So, a lot of people are now catching the disease. The government is resorting to using tried and tested Zero Covid policy to check the transmission but people seem to be in no mood to follow the CCP’s diktats.

2 million lives at risk in China?

Given China’s low vaccination rates and lack of natural immunity among its population, up to two million people could be pushed on the verge of losing their lives if the Zero Covid Policy is abandoned. According to recent data, China squandered the opportunity to build Intensive Care Units during the long periods of lockdowns. Taiwan has almost 30 critical care beds per 100,000 residents, South Korea and Thailand have more than 10, and China only has less than five.