China reels under winter Covid wave, could see nearly a million deaths, experts warn

Following the Chinese government's recent announcement oan n exit from the zero-Covid strategy, a new study has suggested that the country's abrupt abandoning of the strict health policy could lead to about 1 million deaths.

Under the zero-Covid strategy, China has used strict lockdowns, mass testing, rigorous contact tracing, and centralized quarantines for about the last three years to contain Covid-19 transmission.

However, the government has eased the restrictions after facing severe protests across the country as the stringent regulations have upended daily lives and businesses.


A projection by three professors at the University of Hong Kong has claimed that China is not prepared for such an abrupt exit. They said that the drastic exit could cause 684 deaths per million people because China had fallen short on stockpiling antiviral medications, bolstering the elderly vaccination rate, and improving intensive care capacity in hospitals.

Since the population of China is 1.4 billion people, the projection by the professors amounts to 964,400 deaths. The study has been partly funded by Hong Kong government and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.


Meanwhile, the Chinese health authorities, on December 19, reported two Covid-19 deaths in Beijing. Notably, these were the first officially reported Covid-19 deaths since December 7, when the government eased the restriction. But some Chinese social media posts indicate an increase in demand at funeral homes and crematoriums in Beijing.

FAQs:

1. What is a zero-Covid strategy?
   Under the zero-Covid strategy, China implemented stringent restrictions to contain the transmission of coronavirus.
2. Which actions did China take under the zero-Covid policy?
   China used strict lockdowns, mass testing, rigorous contact tracing, and centralized quarantines under the zero-Covid policy.