Chinese-American expert’s call for China to change zero-Covid policy becomes online hit
- Zhang Zuofeng, a professor at UCLA, wrote two articles criticising mass testing arguing they had lead to more cases in Shanghai
- Although critics of China’s policies are often censored, so far his articles have not suffered that fate and have been circulating widely on social media
Zhang Zuofeng, a professor at the Fielding School of Public Health at the University of California Los Angeles, published an article in late March on the social media platform Meipian saying the city should allow home quarantine and rapid antigen tests, rather than conducting rounds of mass PCR testing, which increase the risk of cross-infection.
He also recommended the city step up inoculation of the elderly using the mRNA vaccine developed by BioNtech, which is yet to be approved by the Chinese regulator even though Shanghai-based Fosun Pharma has already signed an agreement to distribute and produce the jabs.
He also said the city should stock up on Pfizer’s pill Paxlovid to treat patients, especially the elderly.
The Chinese authorities have carried out repeated mass testing and sent all positive cases to makeshift hospitals even though some were half finished or hastily built. People in Shanghai are also banned from leaving home, resulting in food shortages in China’s richest city.
Government officials have repeatedly defended the strict zero-tolerance approach, saying they wanted to protect the vulnerable and avoid a spike in deaths.