Covid-19 in China

[Randy W]

23 hours ago, Randy W said:

WHO chief says China's zero-COVID policy not 'sustainable'

from Reuters

World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus gives a statement on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination, during a European Union - African Union summit, in Brussels, Belgium February 18, 2022. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/Pool/File Photo

 

A U.N. Weibo post on the WHO chief's comments that China's zero-tolerance COVID policy is not sustainable was removed from the Chinese social media platform shortly after being posted

WHO chief's remarks on China's COVID policy blocked on country's social media

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His remarks were posted in Chinese by the United Nations on its social media accounts.

The United Nations and Weibo did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The item on WeChat carried the explanation: "This article has been prohibited from sharing because it has violated relevant laws and regulation."

Tedros's remarks generated much buzz on China's heavily censored internet, as a prolonged lockdown in Shanghai and increasing curbs on mobility in Beijing and other cities caused mounting frustration among people.

 

 

[Randy W]

Beijing students protest Covid-19 curbs on campus in rare act of defiance

Hundreds of students at an elite Beijing university protested strict Covid-19 curbs on campus, in a rare show of defiance.

from the SCMP on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/1889482084594903/

 

Some highlights:

Testing booths will be built so that they can be accessed within a 15-minute walk by residents of all provincial capitals and cities with more than 10 million people, to make weekly mass screening a routine.

The government will also build permanent “cabin hospitals” and quarantine facilities

from the SCMP

 

China to throw more resources at zero-Covid policy, health chief says

• NHC head writes in party publication that permanent quarantine facilities will be built and dedicated teams set up for testing
• He also hails progress in Shanghai, saying it has ‘withstood the most severe challenge since Wuhan’ thanks to the strategy

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Ma made the remarks in an article in Communist Party publication Qiushi on Monday.

It comes as China’s zero-Covid policy is facing growing criticism, including from World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who last week said the policy was not sustainable because of the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant.

Beijing lashed out at the remark, calling it “irresponsible”, and has repeatedly stated that it will stick with the policy, under which it tries to completely stamp out any cases.

 . . .

And if in doubt, people should be quarantined so that cases do not slip through the net, the health chief said. “If there are areas of uncertainty, we should first quarantine and control so that all people at risk are under control and management.”

 

 

Edited May 17, 2022 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Shanghai gave the green light for 666 companies, including Tesla, to resume production. But industry insiders say companies like Tesla are struggling to operate in a closed city, for reasons ranging from supply chain disruptions to missing workers.

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/posts/3226221941029977

Tesla Finds Reopening In a Closed City Isn't Easy
As many auto factories are cleared to reopen, they need to find parts and workers.
May 13, 2022

Workers at Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory, April 19, 2022. VCG

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Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory cut most production this week, days after resuming on April 19, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing an internal memo.

The city government gave the green light for 666 companies, including Tesla, to resume production on April 16, of which 40% were automakers and related companies. But industry insiders say companies like Tesla are struggling to operate in a closed city, for reasons ranging from supply chain disruptions to missing workers.

Tesla’s problem appears to be securing car parts. Aptiv, a vehicle component manufacturer, stopped shipping some parts from a Shanghai plant that supplies Tesla and General Motors over the weekend, after COVID-19 cases were found among its workers, Reuters wrote on Monday. Tesla didn’t reply to Sixth Tone’s request for a comment by the publication time.

The Shanghai Gigafactory was closed for 22 days following the lockdown in Shanghai, reducing output from around 60,000 units per month to 10,757 in April. “They would normally ship the April production to Europe, but they didn’t ship anything that month,” Tu Le, managing director of consultancy firm Sino Auto Insights, told Sixth Tone.

Tesla’s Shanghai factory was reported to have loaded 4,767 electric cars onto freighters Wednesday, headed for Singapore.

The auto industry relies on a web of specialized factories producing different components of a finished car. “We’ve only recovered 20% of our capacity in April,” said Zhao, whose company is part of Tesla’s supply chain. The enterprise managed to keep some of its staff in the factory when the city imposed a comprehensive lockdown at the end of March, and further reopened on April 21 after getting the green light from the local government.

 

 

[Randy W]

With most of the city locked down, a hundred or so cabs are still on the road. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire... a taxi.

“Many passengers said that seeing me arrive was like seeing a ‘savior.’ One girl kept asking me to promise I would show up when making the appointment. As soon as she saw my car the next day, she flew out of the neighborhood gate like a little swallow, leaving her suitcase behind, jumping and dancing in the middle of the road,” said a taxi driver.

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/posts/3230049920647179

Giving Rides to People on Their Way out of Locked-Down Shanghai
With most of the city locked down, a hundred or so cabs are still on the road. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire... a taxi.

A taxi driver waits for passengers outside a residential community in Shanghai, May 14, 2022. VCG

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Hu’s been sleeping in his car for a month. He’s one of just a couple hundred taxi drivers who are allowed to take fares during the ongoing lockdown of Shanghai. The 50-year-old used a pseudonym as he is not authorized to speak with the media.

As Shanghai gradually reopens, thousands have been granted permission to leave the city by neighborhood committees and universities. Over 6,000 people departed from Hongqiao Railway Station on Monday.

But getting to the station is no easy matter. All public transportation is suspended until May 22. Private drivers are asking thousands of yuan (1,000 yuan is about $148) for a ride. Some passengers have simply taken rental bikes or gone on foot.

Only a small number are lucky enough to secure an appointment with a regular cab with a metered fare.

There are now around 70 Dazhong taxis driving people to railway stations and airports, according to Hu. Meanwhile, around 50 taxis operated by another company, Qiangsheng, have been giving rides to people going to hospitals and returning from quarantine centers since April 18.

 

 

[Randy W]

Many out-of-towners stuck in Shanghai have described multiple difficulties in leaving, and those willing to return to Shanghai from other parts of the country face similar ordeals. A trip to and from Shanghai has become incredibly difficult as only a handful of flights and trains operate.

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/posts/3232762440375927

Leaving Locked-Down Shanghai Is Hard. Returning Is Harder.
Limited transportation and unclear rules have kept many residents away from their homes.

Passengers enter Hongqiao Railway Station in Shanghai, May 17, 2022. CNS/VCG

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Many out-of-towners stuck in Shanghai have described multiple difficulties in leaving, and those willing to return to Shanghai from other parts of the country face similar ordeals. A trip to and from Shanghai has become incredibly difficult as only a handful of flights and trains operate.

On Monday, when the city government announced it would gradually reopen the city, only 16 trains carrying around 6,000 passengers departed from Hongqiao Railway Station, according to Sixth Tone’s sister publication, The Paper. Fewer than 1,000 people arrived at the station that same day.

For context, Hongqiao Railway Station is Shanghai’s busiest transportation hub, ferrying around 160,000 passengers on an average day.

With limited trains and almost no long-distance coaches running, Lu Xiongming has been unable to return home to Shanghai. The 60-year-old was in his hometown in the neighboring Jiangsu province to sell his apartment when the Shanghai lockdown was announced.

 

 

 

 

[Randy W]

side effects of Shanghai lockdown spill over to the U.S.

Patients Face Long Delays for Imaging of Cancers and Other Diseases
Many U.S. hospitals are postponing scans used to diagnose diseases after a Covid lockdown in China hobbled the main U.S. supplier of an imaging chemical.

from the NY Times on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/nytimes/posts/pfbid0eJJ8oB4Hr6SFzzgpWt2Mr2qHUSMZX4hH3RjijXwVLa9P7woK4pkvmZkdeyat5Kmnl

Michael Quintos of Chicago, suffering from acute stomach pain, cannot get a scan that might help determine the cause of his illness. Credit...Taylor Glascock for The New York Times

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The shortage of a vital imaging agent is the latest example of the country’s vulnerability to disruptions in the global supply chain and its overreliance on a small number of manufacturers for such critical products. The Shanghai plant shuttered by the lockdown is operated by GE Healthcare, a unit of General Electric and one of two major suppliers of the iodinated contrast materials. The company supplies its dyes, Omnipaque and Visipaque, for the United States.

Lawmakers expressed concern about the scarcity of imaging agents. “In the wealthiest nation on Earth, there should be no reason doctors are forced to ration lifesaving medical scans to compensate for a shortage of material,” Representative Rosa DeLauro, Democrat of Connecticut, said in a statement. “We are seeing supply chains break down because of consolidated industries experiencing manufacturing shortages and offshoring American jobs to China.”

Testifying before a Senate committee on Thursday, Dr. Robert Califf, the commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said the shortage of contrast media was “just unbelievable.” Noting that some members of Congress had recently suffered serious illnesses, he added: “Someone with a stroke or heart attack wouldn’t be able to get an angiogram.”

Shortages of the dye were reported to the F.D.A. earlier this month, and it said it was working closely with manufacturers “to help minimize the impact on patients.” Yet even though GE Healthcare said this week that the situation was improving now that the plant had reopened, the shortages and patient delays could persist well into the summer because of a lag in how quickly replenished supplies could be distributed.

 

 

 

[Martin B]

17 minutes ago, Randy W said:

side effects of Shanghai lockdown spill over to the U.S.

Patients Face Long Delays for Imaging of Cancers and Other Diseases
Many U.S. hospitals are postponing scans used to diagnose diseases after a Covid lockdown in China hobbled the main U.S. supplier of an imaging chemical.

from the NY Times on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/nytimes/posts/pfbid0eJJ8oB4Hr6SFzzgpWt2Mr2qHUSMZX4hH3RjijXwVLa9P7woK4pkvmZkdeyat5Kmnl

Michael Quintos of Chicago, suffering from acute stomach pain, cannot get a scan that might help determine the cause of his illness. Credit...Taylor Glascock for The New York Times

 

 

This is a really big deal. I had a family member that needed a CT scan last week but fortunately the condition they were testing for didn't require the contrast. Scary stuff

[Randy W]

Shanghai finally eases lockdown rules as Covid-19 infection numbers drop
Shanghai residents are finally starting to emerge from their homes after a sharp decline in new Covid-19 infections in the commercial hub prompted city officials to begin to ease lockdown measures.

from the SCMP on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/598950674559902/

[Randy W]

 

Shanghai residents flee city as Covid-19 measures ease ahead of city reopening

As Shanghai’s lockdown slowly starts to ease people are flocking to train and bus stations to flee the city.

from the SCMP on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/1008452433136282/

[Randy W]

May be 2nd or 3rd hand information here - on Weixin

Many airlines have added international flights, and countries have relaxed entry policies! The quarantine period is expected to be shortened to "7+7", Chinese people test Hong Kong transiting to the mainland

Queensland Today 2022-05-28 14:46 Posted on Australia

As the epidemic eases,

 

Good news from China Airlines,

 

Air China, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines

are expected to open more international flights,

It is expected to take off at the end of June at the earliest.

According to Jiemian News, the relaxation of the number of international flights,

 

It is not unrelated to the economic measures recently introduced by the State Council of China.

 

A few days ago, the State Council executive meeting deployed a package of measures to stabilize the economy.

 

Efforts will be made to push the economy back to a normal track and ensure that it operates within a reasonable range .

 

 

多家航司增开国际航班，各国放宽入境政策！隔离期有望缩短至“7+7”，华人亲测香港中转大陆

今日昆士兰 2022-05-28 14:46 Posted on 澳大利亚

 

 

Edited May 31, 2022 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Shanghai residents locked down again

Less than a week since Shanghai reopened, outraged residents in Xuhui district confronted officials after they were put under lockdown again.

Read more: sc.mp/43fm

 

[Randy W]

An anti-domestic violence volunteer in Shanghai shares her experiences of helping victims in lock down Shanghai.
Read more: http://ow.ly/ULEo50JuwJl

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/photos/a.1604152706570250/3248754025443435

In Locked Down Shanghai, a ‘Shadow Pandemic’ of Domestic Violence
China’s Anti-Domestic Violence Law has been on the books since 2016, but the protections it offers abuse victims have proven fragile during lockdowns.

 

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“How do you expect us to intervene?” he replied. “We can’t enter your building because of the COVID-19 restrictions.” He said he would call my neighborhood committee and ask them to check on the situation, then hung up the phone.

I messaged a member of the committee myself, asking them to check on the woman, but received no reply. “The police were just pushing their responsibility onto us,” she wrote back the next morning. “Of course they can enter the complex.” In the end, no one came.

 . . .

“Just put up with it and wait until Shanghai lifts the lockdown,” the officer said. Before they left, they checked the couple’s ID cards and health codes. The whole process took less than 10 minutes.

 

 

[Randy W]

‘Thank You for Your Cooperation’

In April, Shanghai declared all-out war against Omicron. Millions of residents were locked indoors, and thousands thrown into makeshift quarantine centers. Buildings were sealed with steel barriers. Food supplies broke down.

As the city finally opens up once more, many are emerging from lockdown traumatized by what they experienced. A Sixth Tone Film on how residents are trying to pick up the pieces — and regain some sense of normality.

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/1570821646570023/posts/pfbid029fDvE8kNd369rkcVS9m5AStsPbkpJfEgZtxS37Skk8JDazHV6AWEs9BhG5NtU7w9l/

https://video1.sixthtone.com/video/5/0/903.mp4

 

 

[Randy W]

Marooned in a Concrete BoxHu Changgui is a 54-year-old migrant worker from Jiangsu province. He was settling tile in a Shanghai apartment, when the city locked down, trapping him in an unfurnished concrete box with his brother for two months.

Learn more Shanghai lockdown stories: http://ow.ly/8UCa50JFv26

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/videos/563467475378499/

[Randy W]

 

Coronavirus: Chinese tech hub Shenzhen shuts down HK border district for 3 daysChina’s southern tech manufacturing powerhouse Shenzhen closed wholesale markets, cinemas and gyms for three days starting on June 25, after Covid-19 cases were found in the city.

from the SCMP on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/1408235376343581/

Edited June 27, 2022 by Randy W (see edit history)