Explainer | How China claimed victory over the coronavirus

Millions have been tested in response to recent outbreaks and Chinese infections are well below many other countries

Lockdowns and mass testing are China’s main weapons in the fight against the pandemic

Reading Time:4 minutes

Kashgar locals line up to receive nucleic acid testing in China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Photo: Handout

Published: 4:23pm, 12 Nov 2020Updated: 4:23pm, 12 Nov 2020

While the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage many parts of the world, China declared victory over the disease in September. Since then, a handful of clusters have been detected and brought under control with mass testing and strict lockdowns, according to Chinese officials.

Here is a rundown of the latest clusters in China, the measures taken to control them, and why China is still able to claim success in suppressing Covid-19.

In the beginning

China was the first nation to experience an outbreak of the new coronavirus, with initial reports emerging in late December 2019. After the original surge, the country of 1.4 billion people has seen on average fewer than dozens of new infections per day in recent months, with most of them imported.

By the end of October, China had recorded a total of 85,997 Covid-19 infections and 4,634 deaths. Around 90 per cent of confirmed cases were recorded before March.

A people’s war

On September 8, President Xi Jinping used an awards ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to hail China’s success in suppressing the Covid-19 pandemic, which he said had been achieved through the leadership of the Communist Party.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x