Page 24 - 2023 White Paper on the Business Environment in China
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3 White Paper on the Business Environment in China
may cause milder disease, the Hong Kong study Optimized COVID-19 policies in China
found the intrinsic severity of BA.2 may not be
much lower than the ancestral strain in terms There have always been conflicting ideas when
of fatality risk for unvaccinated patients. "Our it comes to prevention and control measures
findings highlighted the importance of achieving against COVID-19. Some have pointed their
a high coverage of vaccination especially in older fingers at China's dynamic zero-COVID strategy,
adults, and the need to reassess public health saying it is "not sustainable". Such allegations
and social measures in control of epidemics in do not represent a full or accurate evaluation of
response to a more transmissible SARS-CoV-2 China's fight against COVID-19. China is the most
variant in the future," the study said. The paper is populated country in the world with dense urban
now awaiting peer review. Zhong Nanshan, one areas. A developing country, it faces imbalanced
of China's leading respiratory disease experts, socioeconomic development and public health
said in an article published in also in April by infrastructure. This national reality required
the journal National Science Review that the stringent measures to prevent the virus from
Omicron variant has a higher mortality risk than spreading across the country. Western countries
seasonal influenza, and that allowing it to spread "co-exist" with the virus approach was untenable
unabated would likely result in social instability in China because senior citizens and children have
and the emergence of other novel variants still not reached a 91 percent vaccination rate
with greater infectivity. By this time, the World by May 2022. If the number of cases increases,
Health Organization said it had started tracking they would be the most vulnerable. Therefore the
two newly detected Omicron subvariants: BA.4 dynamic zero-COVID policy was aimed at protecting
and BA.5, which had been circulating at low the most vulnerable and achieving social resilience.
levels in several countries in Africa and Europe, As a country with 1.4 billion people, China could
including South Africa, Botswana, Germany not afford to let the virus spread unabated since
and Denmark. Both strains exhibited additional that would lead to a large number of deaths
mutations on their spike protein, the part of among its elderly. Most models from Chinese and
the virus used to invade human cells, as well United States scientists shows the Omicron variant
as other mutations elsewhere. Laboratory would place a severe strain on China's healthcare
studies said these mutations are associated with system and cause around 1.55 million deaths if
"potential immune escape characteristics," the left to spread unabated. The objective of China's
WHO said. Preliminary data indicate these two "dynamic zero-COVID" policy was to maximize the
new strains are not more contagious or deadly protection of people's safety and health. Instead of
than the original BA.1 Omicron variant, but more pursuing zero infection, the policy aims to contain
research is needed to understand their impact on the pandemic in the shortest possible time at the
immune escape potential, it added. The Omicron lowest social cost so as to safeguard people's lives
subvariant BA.2 is currently the dominant and health as well as retain a normal order of life.
strain in the world. Tulio de Oliveira, a biology China's zero-COVID strategy may have appeared
researcher in South Africa, told the journal as rigid to the Western eye, but it changes with the
Nature that samples of the new strains have been situation, and, according to most Chinese officials,
sent to researchers around the world, including was the most suitable strategy for China to curb
those at the United States' National Institutes viral infections (Zhao, Dynamic Zero-Covid).
of Health and the Chinese Center for Disease
Control and Prevention. The United Kingdom's By June 2022, the World Bank noted that
Health Security Agency said another Omicron economic activity slowed sharply in China
subvariant called XE may be the most contagious due mainly to COVID-19 outbreaks and strict
strain known to date. XE is a recombinant strain lockdowns, with growth in consumer spending
that combines the characteristics of the BA.1 particularly subdued, and that China is
and BA.2 variants. "The best way to stop variants taking measures to ease the economic pain.
developing or spreading is to keep pushing down "Policy action has been pursued to cushion
infection rates and the transmission of the virus the slowdown. The People's Bank of China
in our community," it said (Zhang, Scientist Urge). has implemented policy rate and reserve
24
may cause milder disease, the Hong Kong study Optimized COVID-19 policies in China
found the intrinsic severity of BA.2 may not be
much lower than the ancestral strain in terms There have always been conflicting ideas when
of fatality risk for unvaccinated patients. "Our it comes to prevention and control measures
findings highlighted the importance of achieving against COVID-19. Some have pointed their
a high coverage of vaccination especially in older fingers at China's dynamic zero-COVID strategy,
adults, and the need to reassess public health saying it is "not sustainable". Such allegations
and social measures in control of epidemics in do not represent a full or accurate evaluation of
response to a more transmissible SARS-CoV-2 China's fight against COVID-19. China is the most
variant in the future," the study said. The paper is populated country in the world with dense urban
now awaiting peer review. Zhong Nanshan, one areas. A developing country, it faces imbalanced
of China's leading respiratory disease experts, socioeconomic development and public health
said in an article published in also in April by infrastructure. This national reality required
the journal National Science Review that the stringent measures to prevent the virus from
Omicron variant has a higher mortality risk than spreading across the country. Western countries
seasonal influenza, and that allowing it to spread "co-exist" with the virus approach was untenable
unabated would likely result in social instability in China because senior citizens and children have
and the emergence of other novel variants still not reached a 91 percent vaccination rate
with greater infectivity. By this time, the World by May 2022. If the number of cases increases,
Health Organization said it had started tracking they would be the most vulnerable. Therefore the
two newly detected Omicron subvariants: BA.4 dynamic zero-COVID policy was aimed at protecting
and BA.5, which had been circulating at low the most vulnerable and achieving social resilience.
levels in several countries in Africa and Europe, As a country with 1.4 billion people, China could
including South Africa, Botswana, Germany not afford to let the virus spread unabated since
and Denmark. Both strains exhibited additional that would lead to a large number of deaths
mutations on their spike protein, the part of among its elderly. Most models from Chinese and
the virus used to invade human cells, as well United States scientists shows the Omicron variant
as other mutations elsewhere. Laboratory would place a severe strain on China's healthcare
studies said these mutations are associated with system and cause around 1.55 million deaths if
"potential immune escape characteristics," the left to spread unabated. The objective of China's
WHO said. Preliminary data indicate these two "dynamic zero-COVID" policy was to maximize the
new strains are not more contagious or deadly protection of people's safety and health. Instead of
than the original BA.1 Omicron variant, but more pursuing zero infection, the policy aims to contain
research is needed to understand their impact on the pandemic in the shortest possible time at the
immune escape potential, it added. The Omicron lowest social cost so as to safeguard people's lives
subvariant BA.2 is currently the dominant and health as well as retain a normal order of life.
strain in the world. Tulio de Oliveira, a biology China's zero-COVID strategy may have appeared
researcher in South Africa, told the journal as rigid to the Western eye, but it changes with the
Nature that samples of the new strains have been situation, and, according to most Chinese officials,
sent to researchers around the world, including was the most suitable strategy for China to curb
those at the United States' National Institutes viral infections (Zhao, Dynamic Zero-Covid).
of Health and the Chinese Center for Disease
Control and Prevention. The United Kingdom's By June 2022, the World Bank noted that
Health Security Agency said another Omicron economic activity slowed sharply in China
subvariant called XE may be the most contagious due mainly to COVID-19 outbreaks and strict
strain known to date. XE is a recombinant strain lockdowns, with growth in consumer spending
that combines the characteristics of the BA.1 particularly subdued, and that China is
and BA.2 variants. "The best way to stop variants taking measures to ease the economic pain.
developing or spreading is to keep pushing down "Policy action has been pursued to cushion
infection rates and the transmission of the virus the slowdown. The People's Bank of China
in our community," it said (Zhang, Scientist Urge). has implemented policy rate and reserve
24
