Time for China to reassess Omicron risks as Shanghai, Beijing lockdowns ease
- Many of China’s hallmark Covid-19 practices were developed during the early days of the pandemic when the coronavirus was much more deadly
- As of Sunday, there were only 523 Covid-19 patients in Shanghai hospitals, with 20 of them gravely ill
China’s Covid-19 control measures have seemingly entered a new stage after the reopening of Shanghai and the rollback of lockdowns in Beijing.
It might then be a good time to reassess the health risks of Omicron, using fresh data gathered in Shanghai and other places.
A scientific evaluation of the health implications of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 should be the basis for future practices – and a pragmatic policy should keep a balance between costs and returns with realistic goals.
For now, many of China’s hallmark practices, including strict lockdowns, massive nucleic testing as well as extensive quarantines, were developed during the days when coronavirus was much more deadly and when vaccinations and medical treatments were limited.
These measures have proved extremely costly in handling Omicron – the cost of the two month lockdown of Shanghai is mind-boggling – and to make it worse, these measures cannot offer a way out of the pandemic.
Tianjin, a major port city in northern China, has gone back-and-forth under lockdown this year because of Omicron infections, and there’s no guarantee that curbs won’t be implemented again in case of another outbreak.
Still, the prospects of lockdowns returning are diminishing, as the threat of Omicron wanes.
According to figures published by the Shanghai government, the city of 25 million residents had 58,028 confirmed Covid-19 cases from the end of February to Sunday, with 588 deaths attributed to the virus, on top of about 600,000 “asymptomatic” patients.
As of Sunday, there were only 523 Covid-19 patients in hospitals, with 20 of them gravely ill.
The dominant share of “asymptomatic” patients, those who do not show symptoms or discomfort, and the relatively low mortality rate, should be a sign of relief. As the new variant is getting milder, China can have the confidence to move forward to align with the rest of the world in opening up as the pandemic ends.
The Chinese public today has a clearer understanding of the health threat. More often than not, it is the draconian control measures that people complain about, not the virus itself.
In some places, for instance, local governments are asking all residents to take nucleic testing, even when there is not a single confirmed case, just to make sure there’s no threat.
A complete reassessment of Omicron will give the country a basis to update the treatment guidelines for the virus – the current version was amended in mid-March before the Shanghai lockdown – to help the country better implement a “dynamic zero”, not “absolute zero”, Covid-19 policy.
