China Virus Czar Joins Chorus Defending Covid Zero Despite Costs

Linda Lew
·3 min read
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(Bloomberg) -- China has defended its controversial and costly Covid Zero policy for the fourth day in a row -- this time through one of the country’s top virus officials -- as authorities ramp up efforts to quell discontent ahead of the twice-a-decade Party Congress.

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Liang Wannian, a National Health Commission panel expert, said at a briefing on Thursday that it’s inevitable the curbs the country uses to control transmission have impacted the economy, but the approach is scientific and effective. He reiterated that the zero-tolerance policy reduces infections and the instances of long Covid, protects the elderly and saves lives.

“Based on these considerations, it is necessary for China to persist” with its Covid Zero strategy, Liang told reporters in Beijing, where the Party Congress is due to start later this week.

His remarks follow three consecutive days of commentaries published by Communist Party mouthpiece the People’s Daily that stridently defended China’s virus approach. The rare campaign, just days before President Xi Jinping is expected to secure a precedent-breaking third term in power, is a strong signal to the public and investors that the country is unlikely to move away from Covid Zero any time soon. It’s also an important signal to any party cadres who had doubts about the path forward.

Read more: Police Patrol Beijing Bridge After Rare Protest Denouncing Xi

Despite the vociferous defense, signs are emerging that the public’s patience with pandemic measures is starting to unravel. About two dozen police patrolled a busy Beijing intersection on Thursday after photos and videos circulated of a rare protest that took aim directly at Xi. One banner unfurled on a bridge in the capital said “we want food, not PCR tests. We want freedom, not lockdowns and controls,” along with other slogans.

Health officials acknowledged the snap lockdowns and compulsory centralized quarantine for positive cases and their close contacts were a hardship for many. Local authorities should avoid extensive lockdowns if possible or end lockdowns as soon as possible if they have use the measure, Lei Zhenglong, a National Health Commission official, said at the Thursday briefing.

Read more: Shanghai Covid Cases Hit Three-Month High as Schools Close

Officials said China has had 1 million Covid cases since the start of the pandemic, the first time the figure has been revealed publicly. That’s about 0.07% of its entire population, with health officials noting that the low rate of infections, as well as it’s total death toll of 5,226, pales in comparison with countries like the US.

Around 90% of the population have been fully vaccinated against Covid as of Thursday, according to health officials. About 86.3% of those aged 60 and above, one of the core cohorts Covid Zero aims to protect, have been fully vaccinated, with the rate in line with the level reported two weeks ago.

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