Ryan Woo and Roxanne Liu, David Stanway

BEIJING, (Reuters) – China’s public healthcare governance will be under severe pressure over the coming weeks. The largest wave of COVID-19 patients since 2020 Wuhan strains medical resources and tests their ability to control infections.

China reported more local symptoms in the last 10 weeks than any other country. This is due to the spread of Omicron, which has fueled fears about economic instability and hard locking down cities.

Some areas of China already feel the pinch as they try to quarantine infected people and test their populations under China’s COVID-19 guidelines. This despite the fact that there are relatively few cases compared with global standards.

Affected cities race to create temporary hospitals in northeastern Jilin province, which is currently the most affected by this outbreak. Local officials said Tuesday that the provincial’s emergency prevention resources will be depleted in two- to three days.

Chen Zhengmin from the University of Oxford, professor of epidemiology, said that “the next two weeks will be key in determining whether current policies are effective in curbing infected growth or reaching zero cases in one particular city like we saw last year.”

China is sticking to its “dynamic zero-COVID” policy. This involves identifying and stopping infections immediately as they arise, while not insisting that there be zero – this was for both political and public health reasons.

China boasts a nearly 90% vaccination rate, but experts in China claim that not enough seniors have been given boosters. This could lead to severe and even fatal cases. Uncertain whether Chinese vaccines can reduce Omicron-related disease risk is another issue.

China’s leadership is reliant on COVID-19 and will not change course during a delicate year in which President Xi Jinping seeks a third term.

Mi Feng (National Health Commission spokesperson) said that it has been more challenging to prevent and control epidemics. He stressed that “it’s been proven in practice” China’s existing virus treatments against Omicron are effective.

A country’s economic recovery is in need of balancing pandemic measures and an economy that has recovered from it. Citi analysts predict that the new wave of pandemics will reduce GDP growth by 0.5 to 0.8 percent in the second quarter.

China must consider resource-saving measures that are less disruptive and costly, such as allowing patients with asymptomatic illnesses to be quarantined at home. But this is not likely to happen anytime soon, according to some experts.

“The traditional way is still very efficient, regardless of its cost. [epidemic prevention]Chen stated that this is the most difficult political challenge. Chen said, “Also if such changes are made, it is possible for the public to misunderstand that this as giving up.”

Some experts believe China’s COVID model is unsustainable.

Hiroshi Nakamura, a Kyoto University professor, led a Wuhan study that began in 2020. He said he is “not very optimistic” despite strict lockdowns slowing the spread.

Nishiura stated that multiple Omicron introductions in China are unavoidable.

(GRAPHIC: COVID-19 cases in mainland China (2021-2022) – https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/CHINA/znvnenaadpl/chart.png)

HIGH Stakes

China is trying balance the need to curb spread of the virus while avoiding economic disruptions that could worsen already uncertain outlooks.

Shanghai and Shenzhen have implemented stricter restrictions that are rare in those cities. The one shutting down all primary, intermediate and high schools. While the other suspended non-essential businesses, it was not enough to impose a lockdown like the one in Wuhan 2020.

Although China’s COVID-19 policies have not been completely abandoned, Jin Dong-Yan, University of Hong Kong Professor, stated that daily cases exceeding 1,000 are an alarming sign.

China has approved self-administered antigen kits last week to enhance its testing capabilities.

China announced late Tuesday night that mildly ill patients will be kept in quarantine at centralised facilities. This is in response to medical resource concerns.

Huang Yanzhong is senior fellow in global health at The Council on Foreign Relations.

Since 2020, mainland China’s official death toll has remained stable with two fatalities in 2021 and zero this year.

Omicron variants can be deadly to the elderly in China. According to Nishiura, Kyoto University’s Nishiura said that this is why “a significant number of deaths and cases” would be normal.

ECONOMIC TOLL

Some cities may be taking a more difficult line.

Shenzhen has 17.6 millions people. Monday’s announcement stated that only one person in a household can travel every 2 to 3 days to get necessities.

Peter, 49-year-old Shenzhen resident, and founder of VR startup Omicron, said, “I believe there is no other way to stop Omicron.” The only way to stop the virus is to keep it at bay and accept it. Coronavirus, as you can see from abroad is like having a cold. Numerous people have been able to recover and travel all around the globe. “Why are we stuck here?”

Shanghai will divert 106 international flights that were scheduled between March 21st and May 1, to Chinese cities.

From automaker BYD, to KFC restaurant Yum China, businesses say they have been affected already. There are more disruptions in the pipeline.

The impact of curbs was very noticeable in Changchun’s locked down city.

Guo, the owner of a beauty and pedicure salon, stated that she is concerned about her loans as well as her employees’ wages.

Guo stated, “I feel very overwhelmed right now.” This feeling can only be understood by those in an epidemic zone.