The eruption spreads much faster than the previous wave of infectious variants, with daily cases rising to more than 5,100 from a few dozen in February to Tuesday – the highest number since the outbreak in Wuhan in early 2020.
This number may be low compared to other countries, but it is dangerous for a country trying to seal the chains of eruptions and diffusion with a strict zero-Govt policy throughout the epidemic.
As of Tuesday, cases were reported in 21 provinces and municipalities across the country, including the national capital Beijing and other major cities such as Shanghai and Shenzhen.
The cases could still number in the thousands, but as of Tuesday, 37 million people were locked up.
Here’s what we know about China’s eruption.
How did this wave start?
Cases began to rise earlier this month in some provinces across the country, including Shandong in the east, Guangdong in the south and Jilin in the northeast.
Jilin Province, which shares a border with North Korea, soon became a major hotspot with a university cluster, which provoked public outrage online. Isolated students complained that there were bad conditions when they were isolated on campus.
More than 4,000 infections were reported in Jillin on Tuesday. Nearly half of the total epidemics in this eruption came from that province – and cases have not yet peaked, officials warned Tuesday.
Officials and state media say it is not yet clear how the first few eruptions began.
What variation is spread?
Omicron is driving this uprising. One reason cases spread so rapidly and are difficult to detect is the mild symptoms of Omigran and the short incubation time. According to state media.
BA.2 is about 30% more contagious than BA.1, according to preliminary studies in the UK and Denmark. According to the World Health Organization, it now causes 1 in 5 cases of Covid-19 worldwide, with cases found in dozens of countries, including the United States. According to the state-run news agency CCTV, PA2 was found in the eruption in Jilin.
It is not yet clear if it causes the most serious disease, but some studies suggest that it may not lead to a greater number of hospitalizations and deaths because it emerged so soon after the original omigran wave, that many have protective antibodies. Recent infection or booster shots.
What are the locks and restrictions?
Five cities – collectively inhabiting more than 37 million residents – are now under various levels of lockout.
Residents of Changchun, Jilin City, Shenzhen and Dongguan are barred from leaving their neighborhoods, except for essential workers and emergency services. Each family is only allowed to send one person every two or three days to buy groceries.
The fifth city, Longfang, went one step further and barred all residents from leaving their homes for emergencies.
Many of these cities have public transportation and inland food parks. Closed Many rounds of mass testing are being conducted for schools and all residents. The city of Jill began its ninth round of testing on Tuesday, with photos showing residents lined up outside in the snow, tightly packed.
Jill province also enforces travel restrictions, barring residents from leaving the province or traveling within cities within the province.
But these locks pose a major logistics challenge to the government, with CCTV reporting that medical supplies are only in stock for a few days in the province.
According to the Global Times, authorities are now racing to increase health care capacity in the worst-affected areas – for example, setting up makeshift treatment centers in Changchun and Jilin and sending thousands of troops to help control the Govt.
Will China Govt stick to zero?
Increasingly contagious variants – delta, then omigron – spread in 2021, with many countries abandoning the harsh zero-cowid approach in favor of living with the virus.
Although some Chinese leaders and scientists point out that China may eventually deviate from this strategy, it will not come anytime soon, if there is any indication that the current rhetoric about bringing cases back to zero.
“It is better to be fully prepared, and then gradually (to clarify the covid spread),” Weibo commented. If rushed, people will suffer.
