China's National Health Commission (NHC) once again reconfirmed the zero-Covid policy, even after a three-year-old boy in Lanzhou, Gansu province, died in a locked-down compound because Covid-workers did not allow the father to take him to hospital in due time. NHC stressed that the country must strive to control Covid-19 outbreaks with minimal disruption to normal life, in the shortest time and at lowest cost possible, in a bid to correct mistakes from overly strict measures that have caused damage to people's property and lives.
Beijing’s epidemic control and prevention work is at a critical period as the capital continues to report cluster infections and imported cases from areas outside the city, the Beijing CDC said. “Beijing continued to report cases at the community level recently, which indicates that hidden transmission risks still exist in the city,” the CDC said. The number of high- and medium-risk areas keeps growing in the capital. Companies and institutions in Beijing are advised not to hold annual meetings, training, galas or similar activities. If needed, the meetings should be held online, the authority said. The urban-rural fringe areas and villages have been ordered to strengthen the screening of people coming from outside. As sporadic cases continue to be reported in many places in China in recent days, local governments are carrying out multiple measures to control the virus spreading. Guangdong province reported the highest number of cases since the start of the epidemic in December 2019.
China is expected to approve the use of the BioNTech mRNA Covid vaccine for foreign residents in China. Visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he hoped that the vaccine would eventually become available to anyone who wants it in China. BioNTech CEO Uğur Şahin was among Scholz’s business delegation. BioNTech has repeatedly said it hoped to have its mRNA vaccines approved for use across China. It had been widely expected that even if China allowed broader use of the BioNTech vaccines, they would only be used as a booster shot. A home-grown mRNA vaccine called AWcorna, co-developed by Yuxi Walvax, Suzhou Abogen Biosciences and the Academy of Military Sciences, became available in China at the end of last year, but has not yet received regulatory approval. BioNTech agreed in May last year to form a joint venture with drug maker Fosun, and had completed the construction of a plant in Shanghai capable of supplying up to 1 billion Covid-19 vaccine doses a year. Fosun was to contribute funding and facilities while BioNTech would license the expertise, but production at the plant has not yet started.
Covid flare-ups depressed October economic indicators. China's official manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) in October came in at 49.2, falling into contraction after the expansion in September, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed. The reading was 0.9 points lower than the 50.1 in September, NBS data showed. The 50-point mark separates growth from contraction. Sub-indexes showed slowing activity in demand and production due to soaring raw material prices, experts said. In October, the production index reached 49.6, down 1.9 points from September. On the demand side, the new order index was 48.1, down 1.7 points from the previous month. The seven-day National Day holidays in October also caused a slowdown in production.
In Foxconn's factory in Zhengzhou, a major manufacturer of Apple's iPhones, production has largely been restored to normal. But Apple warned that iPhone 14 Pro shipments would be delayed due to Covid restrictions at the Foxconn plant. The authorities sent special working groups to conduct PRC testing after a Covid flare-up in the city led to thousands of workers abandoning their posts to return to their hometowns. Those who stayed are receiving bonuses. The company has started a recruitment drive to replace the missing staff.
The world still faces the risk of a combined pandemic of Covid-19 and influenza, especially this winter, Chinese respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan, said at The World Flu Day 2022 Symposium. He added that more efforts are needed to tackle the scientific problems of influenza prevention and control during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the U.S., a new committee will be set up to investigate the origin of Covid-19 and how the U.S. can bring home supply chains from China, if the Republican Party gains a majority in the upcoming midterm elections, said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. He added that it would also look into how China was stealing U.S. technology, a charge Beijing has repeatedly denied. Debate over the origin of the pandemic has been overtaken by other issues in recent months, including Beijing’s policy on Taiwan and concerns over Western technologies being used to bolster China’s military development.
This overview is based on reports by the China Daily, Shanghai Daily, Global Times and South China Morning Post.
