Fixating on zero-covid

Covid-19 in Xi’an The price of zero

Millions are being confined to their homes in one of China’s biggest cities. Such lockdowns could become commoner, and costly

For much of the pandemic, the lives of most people in China have remained however. The variant spreads faster than Delta, which has been the main type derelatively normal except for hassles caused by tough border controls and occasional disruptions to internal travel. For the 13m residents of the western city of Xi’an, that changed on December 23rd when officials imposed one of the country’s biggest lockdowns since the covid19 pandemicbegan. Four days later the rules were tightened further. Residents can leave home only to be tested for the disease. No one may leave or enter Xi’an without approval.

The measures are in response to a tiny outbreak in the city. As The Economist went to press, fewer than 1,000 people had tested positive. But China has a “zerocovid” policy: any case is leapt upon, with harsh local lockdowns to make sure there is no spread. The authorities have not reported any infections involving the Omicron variant in Xi’an (they believe the outbreak began early in December with a case imported from Pakistan). Only a handful of cases of Omicron have been reported elsewhere in China. They must be nervous about it, tected recently in China. Omicron can evade the antibodies which the immune system produces in response to vaccination and infection. Officials are anxious to avoid any covidrelated disruptions to the Winter Olympics, which are due to be held in and around Beijing in February. Cases of any variant have been rare: America currently records more in a day than China has discovered throughout the pandemic. Extraordinary levels of testing, the mobilisation of armies of quarantine enforcers and contacttracing apps have helped. Officials are punished if cases are discovered in their areas. Twentysix have been disciplined in Xi’an. On December 27th the city began testing its entire population for the virus, taking 6.4m samples in just one day. Other countries are trying to come to terms with the idea that sarsCoV2, thanks to growing immunity against it, is becoming just another respiratory virus with which all must live. China is still trying to crush it.

China’s worries are compounded by the performance of locally made vaccines, which are the only ones available in the country. Earlier in December China said more than 80% of its people were fully jabbed. But a study by Hong Kong’s medical schools, published on December 23rd, found that antibodies produced in response to CoronaVac, one of the commonly used vaccines, do not prevent infection with Omicron after either a second dose or a booster. (Boosters commonly used in the West are more effective.) This means China’s high vaccination rate will do little to tamp Omicron’s spread. Like other vaccines, however, those used in China should offer good protection against severe disease and death.

In America, Europe and South Africa, Omicron has driven growth in cases that is more rapid than any since the pandemic began. Omicron’s high transmissibility is likely to force China to play more whackamole by locking down cities.

Even before the cases in Xi’an, precautions surrounding the Winter Olympics were intense. The government had banned nonessential attendees, such as foreign fans, and imposed strict “closedloop” protocols for athletes, trainers and support

→ Also in this section 43 Xi’s secret speeches — Chaguan is away