On August 10, 108 locally transmitted Covid-19 cases were reported to have been detected in China the previous day, the first time the number exceeded 100 on a single day in more than six months. But since then, the number of reported locally transmitted cases has been dropping in subsequent days to 83, 61, 47, 30, 24, 13 and to 6 on August 17. Only Yangzhou city in Jiangsu province is still reporting a half dozen locally transmitted cases, while outbreaks in other cities have been largely stamped out. Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, where the latest resurgence first started and which has recorded 235 cases in total, has not seen any new infections for three days in a row. It is expected that China will see nearly zero infections no later than the end of August.
Experts predicted that this latest wave of domestic cases is expected to be controlled by the end of August and the outbreaks won't lead to a bigger nationwide epidemic, given the strong response and expanding vaccination coverage. Yangzhou – where the most cases were reported – and other cities such as Zhangjiajie, Zhengzhou and Wuhan have conducted one or more rounds of city-wide testing. Positive cases are sent to hospital and their contacts are put in quarantine for medical observation. Subsequent cases are mostly found among the people already quarantined.
Guangdong province has penalized 20 local officials for dereliction of duty in dealing with the local Covid-19 outbreak in May and June. About 50 officials were punished in places which saw flare-ups connected to the delta variant, including Nanjing, Yangzhou and Zhengzhou. So far, more than 3,000 officials nationwide have been punished for poor performance in epidemic prevention and control.
Amid a Covid-19 resurgence in multiple provinces across China, many cities are promoting large-scale vaccination for minors aged 12-17 on a voluntary basis during the summer holiday, in a bid to ensure that the new semester starts normally on September 1. Some districts in Beijing launched vaccinations for high-school students (aged 15-17) on July 20 and junior high schoolers (aged 12-14) in early August. As of August 10, Beijing had administered 37.7 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines, of which 477,900 were given to people aged 12-17. Teachers, students and staff members in low-risk areas in Beijing are asked to avoid travel to medium- and high-risk areas, avoid gatherings, conduct health monitoring, and return to school on time. Shanghai announced that 600,000 teenagers between 12 and 17 will be allowed to take part in the country’s free and voluntary Covid-19 vaccination program. An official of the Ministry of Education said that it is necessary for teenagers to get vaccinated under the current circumstances.
China's record 777-member delegation to the Tokyo Olympic Games returned safely with "zero" Covid-19 infections, and many netizens believed China's strict epidemic measures contributed to the Chinese team's best results in an overseas Olympics, according to the Global Times. As the February 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics approach, Chinese athletes and health professionals are confident that China could successfully hold this major event while preventing Covid-19 flare-ups in Beijing and surrounding cities with precise precautions. Wang Jianquan, Peking University Third Hospital doctor and chief medical expert of the Chinese delegation to Tokyo, said that individual awareness of the need for protection, the prevention and control system of the delegation, and the strong sense of discipline of the Chinese athletes fully demonstrated China's advantages in epidemic prevention and control at the Tokyo Olympics.
Operations at the Meishan wharf at Ningbo Zhoushan Port in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, were suspended starting last week, with cargo ships originally bound for the port being redirected to neighboring ports, after an employee of the Meishan wharf tested positive for the coronavirus – the first case at a Chinese port in three months. The case is likely to cause serious delays in the shipment of containers, in particular to the U.S. and Canada. Industry insiders predict that the waiting time for containers to be loaded onto ships could be extended to more than a week, from the usual one to two days. “It could delay everything, from the supply of raw materials and bulk commodity imports that are key for China's manufacturing, to exports of electronics, medical gear, and even gifts and toys for the Christmas holidays," one employee said.
A print version of Shanghai's health QR code, or the Suishenma digital ID, has been released for the convenience of senior citizens, especially those who don't have a smartphone. Local residents aged over 60 can apply for the “offline Suishenma,” which is printed on a piece of paper, at community service centers. Inspection staff can scan the printed code, which is valid for 180 days, with their Suishenban app to check the three-color health code of the holders, the same as the mobile version. The code was initiated in February 2020 to check the travel history of individuals during the Covid-19 pandemic. It later became the digital ID for citizens and companies due to its convenience and efficiency. Foreigners and those from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan can also apply for Suishenma and enjoy eligible services. The QR code has been used more than 3.7 billion times by some 54 million people as of late last month, according to the city government, the Shanghai Daily reports.
The resurgence of Covid-19 in China prompted some economists to revise their GDP growth forecasts for China. U.S. bank Goldman Sachs has cut its quarterly growth forecast for China to 2.3% in the third quarter from its earlier prediction of 5.8% and cut its full-year projection to 8.3% from 8.6%. JP Morgan also reduced its forecast for China’s year-on-year GDP growth in the third quarter to 6.7% from 7.4% and reduced its full-year projection to 8.9% from 9.1%. Despite the downgrades, most economists say that China is capable of maintaining an annual growth rate of above 8% this year, higher than the government’s annual target of more than 6%.
This overview is based on reports by the China Daily, Global Times, Shanghai Daily and South China Morning Post.
