Covid-19 in China

[Randy W]

Hong Kong on Tuesday reported 1 new imported #COVID19 cases, bringing the region's total tally to 12,369. The new patient is a 19-year-old woman who arrived from the United States on November 7, according to the Centre for Health Protection.

from the People's Daily - Hong Kong on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/PDChinaHK/posts/436134301475417

 

[Randy W]

Authorities of Heihe in NE China's Heilongjiang launched a "people's war" against #COVID19 flareup with rewards of $15,640 to residents who offer important clues for tracing the virus origins in latest outbreak with 240 infections recorded as of Sunday. https://bit.ly/308YK6Q

from the Global Times on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/globaltimesnews/posts/4643760092371521

[Randy W]

Alex visits a quarantined area in Chongqing. You may or may not want to take the time to watch this - it's 25 min. long.

 

China Pandemic Control | Exploring a Quarantined Area In Chongqing, 中国重庆新冠防治：走进隔离区
we check out an area quarantined in the Mega City of Chongqing China. This is an exclusive inside look at the pandemic measures China takes even if there are only a few cases.

Edited November 17, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

China’s latest COVID-19 outbreaks that started in mid-October have spread to 21 provinces and regions. But in just 30 days, confirmed cases have declined to single digits. The country’s “zero COVID” strategy mostly worked. What's next?
Read more: http://ow.ly/1YuQ50GQLs8

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/videos/1258410364679588/

China Has Largely Contained COVID-19 in a Month. What’s Next?
While government officials look at a “dynamic zero” approach in containing the coronavirus outbreaks, experts say the time could be used to build resilience for opening up.
 

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But at the local level, the restrictions have taken a toll on people’s daily lives and livelihoods.

When the city of Lanzhou in the northwestern Gansu province announced a lockdown to contain the virus last month, patients with kidney failure struggled to receive regular dialysis at hospitals and had to rely on volunteers for transport. Some control measures have gone even further, with quarantine staff in the eastern Jiangxi province killing the pet dog of an individual suspected of being infected with the virus, though officials said the personnel acted without “sufficient communication.”

A health care expert in the northwestern Shaanxi province told Sixth Tone that he viewed some local virus-containment measures as “chaotic” and requiring “scientific evaluation.” The performance-based assessment mechanism that stresses zero COVID risks has exacerbated the issue, with some dozen officials suspended or admonished for their inadequate response in containing local flare-ups since October.

“The decision-makers then get tough — they won’t get dismissed because they failed on the economy, but they could get dismissed for this,” said the former official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “Then when they evaluate making decisions, the officials will make decisions that are most beneficial to them.”

 

 

[Randy W]

"Hong Kong Health Code" system opens for registration starting tomorrow (with photos)

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The "Hong Kong Health Code" system will be open for registration from 9am tomorrow (December 10), and the latest "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile app version 3.0 will also be available for update. Members of the public can register a real-name account on the "Hong Kong Health Code" website www.healthcode.gov.hk. Upon successful registration, users can upload their visit records to the "Hong Kong Health Code" system through the "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile app version 3.0, and then login to the "Hong Kong Health Code" system to receive a "Hong Kong Health Code".

 . . .

The "Hong Kong Health Code" facilitates quarantine-free travel between Guangdong, Macao and Hong Kong. The Government opens the "Hong Kong Health Code" system in advance for registration to allow members of the public to familiarise themselves with its functions earlier, including the procedures to upload visit records through the "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile app to apply for a "Hong Kong Health Code", with a view to facilitating a smoother operation when quarantine-free travel with the Mainland and Macao officially resumes. The sequence of registering for the "Hong Kong Health Code" has nothing to do with the quotas for boundary crossings and there is no hurry to apply for it. Members of the public can register for the "Hong Kong Health Code" or update the "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile app to the latest version at their own discretion if they have no plan for boundary crossings.
 

 

Edited December 10, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Outbreak in three Zhejiang cities developing at a ‘relatively rapid’ speed as 50,000 people are put under quarantine.

from AL Jazeera English on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera/posts/10160472258118690

China faces new COVID outbreak as first Omicron case is reported
Outbreak in three Zhejiang cities – Ningbo, Shaoxing and Hangzhou – was developing at a ‘relatively rapid’ speed as 50,000 people are placed under quarantine.

14 Dec 2021

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The state-run Tianjin Daily reported on Monday that the Omicron infection was discovered in a traveller who arrived in the city from overseas on December 9, adding that the patient is currently being treated in isolation in hospital.

On Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported an additional 37 locally-transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases in Zhejiang’s city of Shaoxing, bringing the total number of locally-transmitted confirmed cases in the city to 144.

Earlier, the entire Zhejiang province reported 74 locally transmitted symptomatic cases on December 12 – almost double the previous day’s 38 cases.

The outbreak in three Zhejiang cities – Ningbo, Shaoxing and Hangzhou – was developing at a “relatively rapid” speed, while the situation nationwide was largely stable, National Health Commission official Wu Liangyou said on Saturday.

Health authorities also reported that some of the new cases are said to be from the new Delta strain, “sub-lineage AY.4”, according to Xinhua.

Before the current outbreak, Zhejiang – home to a legion of small and medium-sized enterprises, many of which are exporters – reported only one local case in 2021.

More than a dozen Chinese-listed companies said they had suspended production in parts of Zhejiang owing to tightened COVID-19 curbs.

 

 

[Randy W]

Asia-Pacific countries adopt varying approaches to dealing with Omicron
As the US and European countries record hundreds of thousands of infections from the Omicron Covid-19 variant ahead of the holiday season, in the Asia-Pacific region, cases remain relatively low.

from the SCMP on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/1009481513242882/

[Randy W]

 

New Covid-19 lockdown imposed on Chinese city of Xian, home to famed terracotta warriors

Xian is in lockdown after more than 230 new Covid-19 cases were detected. Early reports say that none of the positive cases showed the new Omicron variant, but the cluster has spread to four cities, including Beijing.

https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/223541249944799/

[Randy W]

China detailed on Thursday some of the strictest rules yet for its citizens during the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Spectators will be allowed to clap, but not shout. Waiters and other staff will not be allowed to leave to visit their families.

from the NY Times on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/nytimes/posts/10152842892534999

As Olympics Near, China Tightens Rules and Athletes Invent Their Own
With the Omicron variant spreading only weeks before the Beijing Games, Olympians and organizers are navigating a stretch run marked by isolation, inoculation and worry.

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China has already announced elaborate precautions to protect against the coronavirus reaching its own population or participants in the Winter Games, and to ensure those two groups have almost no contact with one another. On Thursday, as athletes around the world continued to plot out the safest personal routes to the Games, China detailed some of the strictest rules yet for its own citizens.

Spectators at the Winter Olympics — which were already limited to residents of China — will be allowed to clap, but not shout, in support of athletes. Waiters, cleaners and other support staff will not be allowed to leave Olympic venues to visit their families. And any Olympic participants leaving the vicinity for the rest of China will be required to spend at least one week in quarantine, followed by at least two weeks of isolation at home.

 . . .

The exemption, however, comes with a stringent requirement that foreigners not leave a “closed loop” of hotels and sports venues, linked by special buses and trains.

“We must never go outside the closed loop, let alone reach the city level — this is our bottom line,” said Huang Chun, deputy director of the Olympic organizing committee’s Office of Epidemic Prevention and Control.

For those outside China, getting to the Olympics in the first place remained the most urgent goal.

 

 

[Randy W]

When you realize mid-flight that the rules have changed . . .

What would they tell the passengers? "Your ticket is no longer valid. Please exit the plane"?

Delta cites new China Covid rules after flight returns to US

Delta cited new Chinese Covid-19 rules as the reason a flight returned to Seattle instead of landing in Shanghai (AFP/JAMIE SQUIRE)

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Delta Air Lines on Monday cited new Chinese cleaning requirements after it rerouted a China-bound flight back to the United States, drawing criticism from Chinese authorities.

The December 21 flight was supposed to land in Shanghai after disembarking from Seattle, but instead returned to the US city midair. Delta said the reason for the reversal was new Chinese requirements issued earlier that day in the wake of the latest Covid-19 surge.

"The new cleaning procedures require significantly extended ground time and are not operationally viable for Delta," a Delta spokesman said. "We apologize for any inconvenience this is causing for customers as we continue to work on rebooking on alternate flights."

The Chinese consulate in San Francisco complained that several Chinese citizens were stranded on board with expired visas and Covid-19 tests that no longer met time requirements, according to Chinese state media.

 

 

 

Edited December 28, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Travel restrictions were tightened on Monday in the Chinese city of Xian after 150 new local symptomatic COVID-19 cases were detected on Sunday, and 155 the day before. 

The city is in its fifth day of lockdown as part of an intensive government drive to immediately contain all outbreaks of COVID-19.  From Monday, no vehicles were allowed on the roads of Xian unless they are for virus control or for people’s livelihoods.

from #CGTNAmerica

https://www.facebook.com/ChinaGlobalTVNetwork/posts/480498866776924

[Randy W]

China reported 206 new COVID-19 infections on Dec. 25, the highest daily number since March 2020.COVID-19 hot spot Xi’an recorded 962 infections from Dec. 9 to Dec. 28. The city is now under lockdown amid a growing COVID-19 surge.
Read more: http://ow.ly/xvkj50HkIY1

Police have detained an unspecified number of people for spreading false information, including an individual who posted false information about the source of the current outbreak, according to domestic media reports. As of Tuesday, six people were also detained for insulting disease control personnel.

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/photos/a.1604152706570250/3123162708002568

Xi’an Tries to Contain Surging COVID-19 Cases and Swelling Rumors
The city of 13 million has been under lockdown for nearly a week.

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The capital of Shaanxi province has logged nearly 1,000 confirmed local cases since the first infection was detected on Dec. 9, of which 631 were reported between Saturday and Tuesday, according to the provincial health commission. The outbreak has resulted in China’s highest COVID-19 cases since the country largely stamped out the virus in early 2020 and vowed a “zero-COVID” policy.

On Tuesday, all but one of the confirmed local COVID-19 cases were reported in Xi’an. The other infection was found in the eastern city of Nanjing, which also experienced an outbreak over the summer.

 . . .

“The recent outbreak has the characteristics of ‘hidden transmission,’” Shi Bingyin, former dean of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiao Tong University, told a local media outlet. “Most of the patients were discovered through mass testing instead of them going to hospitals after discovering symptoms.”

Amid rising infections, residents have voiced dissatisfaction over the local government’s handling of the infections. While some questioned the effectiveness of disinfecting large swathes of the city, others complained about the disruption in delivery services due to the lockdown.

 

 

 

[Randy W]

Senior officials in Xian dismissed from posts as city turns corner on Covid-19 outbreak

from the SCMP

 

[Randy W]

Probably the most detailed and accurate report, albeit paywalled, is from the NY Times

Xi’an, a city of 13 million people, has been under lockdown since Dec. 22, the longest in China since the first lockdown in Wuhan.

Food and medical shortages have prompted questions about how much longer the country's zero-Covid strategy can go on.

from the NY Times on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/nytimes/posts/10152849204854999

China’s Latest Lockdown Shows Stubborn Resolve on Zero-Covid
Xi’an, a city of 13 million people, has been on lockdown since Dec. 22, the longest in the country since the early days of the outbreak in Wuhan.

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Ms. Zhang’s university, like the rest of Xi’an, has been under a citywide lockdown since Dec. 22. It is the longest lockdown in China since the first one in Wuhan, where the coronavirus outbreak began almost two years ago.

In scenes recalling the early days of the pandemic, hungry residents have traded coffee for eggs and cigarettes for instant noodles. A pregnant woman and an 8-year-old boy suffering from leukemia are among those who have been denied medical care. People in need of lifesaving medications have struggled to obtain them.

 . . .

Xi’an has reported 1,800 cases in its latest outbreak, stunningly low compared with the daily case count in the United States. And as the world struggles to contain the spread of Omicron, in China officials have reported only a few local cases of the variant, and none in Xi’an.

The authorities are nevertheless worried, in a country that has stridently stuck by its zero-Covid policy — and held up its success fighting the virus as proof that its authoritarian style of leadership saves lives.

The Beijing Winter Olympics and the Lunar New Year holiday are a few weeks away, and China’s vaccines appear to be less effective than their Western competitors, particularly against variants. The country has yet to approve mRNA technology for its vaccines, and while booster shots are now widely available, their takeup in the country has been slower than the initial jabs.

 

 

[Randy W]

The northern port city of Tianjin began mass testing all of its 14 million residents after identifying two cases of the Omicron variant. As of 3 p.m. Monday, 9.6 million residents had already been tested.
Related read: http://ow.ly/9P4250HrvrH

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/posts/3132151300437042:0