Chinese Omicron study renews debate over ‘zero-Covid’ policy | World News,The Indian Express
The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday published a study that found that 22 of more than 33,000 patients hospitalized after testing positive for omicron developed severe illness.
Written by Daisuke Wakabayashi
A new Chinese study about the relatively low risks associated with the omicron variant of the coronavirus has reignited discussion about whether the country’s aggressive response to COVID-19 cases is necessary.
The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday published a study that found that 22 of more than 33,000 patients hospitalized after testing positive for omicron developed severe illness. All of the patients who developed a more serious illness were older than 60 and had underlying medical conditions, according to the study, which was conducted from March 22 to May 3 at four Shanghai hospitals.
In China, anyone who tests positive for the coronavirus is sent to a hospital or isolation facility.
Under the country’s “zero-COVID” policy — which shut down Shanghai for almost two months — a single positive test result can set off a lockdown of an entire apartment complex, confining hundreds and even thousands of residents to their homes for weeks with very little notice. When someone tests positive for the coronavirus, residents within a certain proximity might be ordered to take tests for three straight days to be cleared as a low health risk.
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