Opinion | Time for China to reassess Omicron risks as Shanghai, Beijing lockdowns ease
- Many of China’s hallmark Covid-19 practices were developed during the early days of the pandemic when the coronavirus was much more deadly
- As of Sunday, there were only 523 Covid-19 patients in Shanghai hospitals, with 20 of them gravely ill
China’s Covid-19 control measures have seemingly entered a new stage after the reopening of Shanghai and the rollback of lockdowns in Beijing.
It might then be a good time to reassess the health risks of Omicron, using fresh data gathered in Shanghai and other places.
A scientific evaluation of the health implications of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 should be the basis for future practices – and a pragmatic policy should keep a balance between costs and returns with realistic goals.
For now, many of China’s hallmark practices, including strict lockdowns, massive nucleic testing as well as extensive quarantines, were developed during the days when coronavirus was much more deadly and when vaccinations and medical treatments were limited.
These measures have proved extremely costly in handling Omicron – the cost of the two month lockdown of Shanghai is mind-boggling – and to make it worse, these measures cannot offer a way out of the pandemic.
Tianjin, a major port city in northern China, has gone back-and-forth under lockdown this year because of Omicron infections, and there’s no guarantee that curbs won’t be implemented again in case of another outbreak.
Still, the prospects of lockdowns returning are diminishing, as the threat of Omicron wanes.
