Coronavirus: there was no better time to reopen China after zero-Covid than this winter, top adviser says
- Liang Wannian acknowledges elderly population was harmed but says immunity would have been weaker before or after the December opening
- He says the policy adjustment was made actively and not because China had no choice
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The top adviser shaping China’s coronavirus response insists winter was the best time for the country to reopen from zero-Covid when considering vaccination uptake and waning immunity, according to his interview with state broadcaster CCTV.
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But he stressed that, contrary to popular belief, opening up in winter was better than in summer because the protection provided by vaccination last summer was not strong enough but if delayed until next summer, the immunity of Chinese would have waned.
“At that time [last summer], we were not able to achieve the desired level of protection for the entire elderly population. The overall national vaccination rate for the elderly was relatively low, so we took advantage of these window periods to further strengthen the vaccination of the elderly population,” Liang told CCTV on Sunday.
Even the coming summer was not ideal given the waning immunity from vaccination, he said.
“June and July is the best time, with few respiratory diseases, but in June and July it is also the time when the protection of active immunity from vaccination in our elderly population is decreasing,” Liang said.
The South China Morning Post calculates that by June 27, some 220.23 million people aged over 60 had completed their shots – or 83.41 per cent of the elderly population – and 64 per cent had received a booster shot.
By December 13, after China made drastic changes to pivot away from zero-Covid, about 86.6 per cent of the population above 60 years old had completed their shots and 69 per cent had received a booster shot, 5 percentage points higher than summer.
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Liang defended the timing of the reopening and said by the end of 2022 developments in the pandemic and within China’s population were an opportunity to adjust its policy.
“The pathogen’s harm has decreased, and China’s immunity level increased, including its vaccination rate, especially among the elderly,” he said. “Furthermore, we have been preparing resources, including drugs and measures to help severe cases.”
He said that in December Omicron variants were spreading rapidly in multiple cities, and China’s focus shifted from prevention and control to medical treatment, so a decision had to be made on how to balance pandemic prevention and socioeconomic development.
According to Liang, the policy adjustment was made actively and not because China had no choice.
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He said a shortfall in China’s medical resources was inevitable because there was a large number of infections within a short period of time. He also dismissed public accusations that China was not ready.
“Around the globe, not one country can say they are sufficiently prepared, they all face some sort of issues,” he said. “When a pandemic peak comes, medical resources will be overwhelmed on some level, that’s not an issue only faced by China.”
Liang said the key issue was ensuring high-risk groups received high priority and timely treatment.
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Since the abrupt U-turn last month that completely scrapped the zero-Covid policy, there has been a tsunami of coronavirus cases amid a shortage of drugs and hospital beds and a lack of official guidance on how to fight Covid-19.
The advice given by authorities in recent weeks has been confusing and contradictory. Funeral parlours and crematoriums are being overwhelmed at the same time case numbers are poorly reported and the official death toll appears low, all further fuelling public anger.
