Millions under lockdown in China
Tens of millions of people were under lockdown across China yesterday, as surging virus cases prompted the return of mass tests and hazmat-suited health officials to streets on a scale not seen since the start of the pandemic. China reported 5,280 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, more than double the previous day’s tally, as the highly transmissible Omicron variant spread across a country that has stuck tightly to a zero-COVID strategy. That approach, which pivots on hard localized lockdowns and has left China virtually cut off from the outside world for two years, appears stretched to the limit as Omicron finds its way into communities.
At least 13 cities nationwide were fully locked down as of yesterday, and several others had partial lockdowns, with some 15,000 infections reported nationwide in March. Health officials urged people over 60 to get vaccinated-including the third booster jab-as soon as possible. Around 80 percent of people in that age group are double-vaccinated, according to official data-but Beijing is anxiously watching the situation in Hong Kong, which now has the world’s highest virus death rates due to low inoculation among its oldest residents. Official Jiao Yahui said at a press briefing Tuesday that “the risk of severe illness is very high” for people in that age group.
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