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China’s virus strategy: A model for the world?
BEIJING, March 22 — The head of the World Health Organisation believes China’s battle with the coronavirus offers a beacon of hope, but others question whether Beijing’s strategy can be followed by other countries — particularly Western democracies.
China has reported only one new local infection over the past four days, a seemingly remarkable turnaround given the chaos that surrounded the initial outbreak in the city of Wuhan.
While some experts caution against accepting Beijing’s figures at face value, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus insisted China’s success “provides hope for the rest of the world”.
But China is a particular case — a centrally-controlled, top-down, one-party authoritarian state that allows no dissent and can mobilise vast resources on a single issue.
Close down and contain
In January, China effectively shut down Wuhan and placed its 11 million residents in effective quarantine — a move it then replicated in the rest of Hubei province, putting 50 million people in mass isolation.
Across the rest of the country, residents were strongly encouraged to stay at home.
Hundreds of millions of Chinese live in closed residential complexes where neighbourhood committees can police movement in and out — meaning compliance could be closely monitored.
“Containment works,” Sharon Lewin, professor of medicine at the University of Melbourne, told AFP. “Two weeks after the closure of Wuhan, which is exactly the incubation period, the number (of infections) started to drop.”
Extreme social distancing and home quarantines have been used to differing degrees by a rising number of European countries, with some US states following suit.
But an Imperial College London study warned that while that strategy appeared to have succeeded to date in China, it carried “enormous social and economic costs” in the short and long term.
“The major challenge of suppression is that this type of intensive intervention package... will need to be maintained until a vaccine becomes available (potentially 18 months or more),” it said.
If the intervention is relaxed, transmission rates “will quickly rebound”, it added.
Mass mobilisation
At least 42,000 doctors and medical personnel were sent to Hubei province to shore up the province’s health services which had, according to public health professor Zheng Zijie from Peking University, essentially “collapsed” under the strain of the fast-spreading epidemic.
Health experts from China’s Red Cross are currently helping overwhelmed hospitals in Italy, which has fast overtaken China as the worst hit country in terms of coronavirus deaths.
China’s ability to mobilise small armies of medical workers did not come with protection from contagion. More than 3,300 medical staff were infected across the country and 13 have died from Covid-19, according to health ministry figures published early March.
Government efforts in China were backed by an arsenal of propaganda, with messages repeated incessantly in the media and large street banners calling on citizens to be hygienic and stay home.
In an extraordinary effort — trumpeted by state media — two new hospitals with a total capacity of 2,300 beds were built in Wuhan within 10 days.
Masks and checks
In cities, it quickly became necessary to wear a mask as apartment blocks, businesses and even parks barred entry without one.
Widespread mask use may have helped slow the spread of the disease, “particularly when there are so many asymptomatic virus carriers”, Zheng said.
During the crisis China produced up to 1.6 million N95 respirator masks per day, according to the official Xinhua news agency. These are considered the most effective protection, but need to fit correctly and be changed often.
To boost detection rates, temperature checkpoints were installed outside buildings and shops, or in public places.
“If it’s higher than 37.3 degrees Celsius (99.1 Fahrenheit), you are put in isolation,” one guard at the entrance to a park in Beijing told AFP.
And in the high-tech country where privacy is limited, many localities require citizens to show a QR code on their phone that rates them as “green”, “yellow” or “red”.
This assessment — based on tracking of whether they visited a high-risk zone — is now an entrance requirement for many businesses.
Government announcements have made clear that the coding system will remain in use in some form even after the pandemic subsides.
- AFP
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Discussions
Be the first to like this. Showing 31 of 31 comments
Human right vs less human right. Arrogant vs low profile.
This world going to lead by the Chinese .
For see this Vis will made China overtake USA sooner.
2020-03-22 14:00
CCP is looking for trouble again through boosting itself and how well they have done in coronavirus crisis. CCP will be backfired when the coronavirus slow down in western countries. We can’t deny the facts that the outbreak was first started in Wuhan. Claimed victory while others are suffering.....It’s just like your neighbor infected with coronavirus and you get infected from him. Your neighbor recovers earlier than you and claimed a victory while you are still suffering on the bed...how would you feel? Be humble is the best for the interest of China.
2020-03-22 14:42
China strategy comes at a huge economic cost................................
2020-03-22 14:43
Singapore, S Korea, Japan , Taiwan also did well.....with lower economic cost......................................................
2020-03-22 14:44
Mark my words: Claimed victory while others are suffering.....It’s just like your neighbor infected with coronavirus and you get infected from him. Your neighbor recovers earlier than you and claimed a victory while you are still suffering on the bed...how would you feel? Be humble is the best for the interest of China.
2020-03-22 14:45
CCP successfully internally contain the virus, but fail to stop if from spreading worldwide., despite the lockdown of its source, for 2months. somehow, some carriers managed to slip away, the best model in the world?
2020-03-22 14:55
It's not just China Chinese would get backfire...worst case is the world Chinese may not spare from it as long as you are yellow skin. @@
2020-03-22 15:03
Somemore , your neighbor knew that he himself got infected with coronavirus and understand that it can be transmitted through human. Your neighbor did not warn you clearly about this situation. Therefore, You get in touch with him and you got infected...what’s it meant?
2020-03-22 15:15
Coronavirus crisis won’t ending here alone as mutual trust is obviously broken between CCP and the world. What’s the consequences?....
2020-03-22 15:23
Posted by Up_down > Mar 22, 2020 3:23 PM | Report Abuse
Coronavirus crisis won’t ending here alone as mutual trust is obviously broken between CCP and the world. What’s the consequences?....
=========
broken? not broken........
I think it is america empire that is broken........really badly broken................................
2020-03-22 15:28
Ccp will more respected. World police country do nothing. China already set an example but arrogant to follow. China now even try to help Europe country. USA want help North Korea.
2020-03-22 15:29
I saw videos of Northen Italy singing China national anthem in the balconies...........
2020-03-22 15:30
Serbia gives VIP welcome to China doctors.........says EU abandoned them..............
2020-03-22 15:31
The secret to covid 19 solution is kill the virus better enter your body. wear mask. Better still with some type of alcohol.
2020-03-22 15:35
q3...you think this coronavirus between China and US only.. What about the rest of the countries? Are they all dummies?
2020-03-22 15:41
rest of the world?
these are co lateral damage............
the struggle between US and China is the big struggle.
2020-03-22 15:48
The story is not ended here yet. You are a very big heart people so you demand apologize from your neighbor to forget the past. But neighbor refused to do so....he is now demanding an apology from you...how would you feel?
Mainland Chinese media demands an apology from the rest of the world for the sacrifice China has made for #coronavirus
https://www.reddit.com/r/China/comments/feegzt/mainland_chinese_media_demands_an_apology_from/
2020-03-22 15:50
y Up_down > Mar 22, 2020 3:50 PM | Report Abuse
The story is not ended here yet
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two can play the game........this is China social media in response to Trump calling it Chinese virus.
2020-03-22 15:53
Stop giving wrong information, you cannot put alcohol on mask, it will lose it effect to stop you from infection. alcohol should be used only on hands and for disinfection of your surrounding.
Posted by Ny036 > Mar 22, 2020 3:35 PM | Report Abuse
The secret to covid 19 solution is kill the virus better enter your body. wear mask. Better still with some type of alcohol.
2020-03-22 16:27
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will not work in the west
2020-03-22 13:55