China reports zero local virus cases as Delta outbreak retreats

 

China reported no new domestic coronavirus cases earlier this week and Beijing appears poised to bring to heel the pandemic's most serious resurgence in months. This is driven by the new Delta variant which will be now applied through mass testing and targeted lockdowns.

 

Over a thousand people have been infected across dozens of cities and the latest outbreak, which began in July at a Nanjing airport was seen as the most severe since COVID-19 that surfaced in the central city of Wuhan.

 

Communist authorities in China reacted with swift localised lockdowns, travel restrictions and mass testing of neighbourhoods with infections as part of their "zero cases" approach to the pandemic, which has virtually sealed off China's borders but allowed the economy to rebound.

 

Although National Health Commission data showed local infections returned to zero after a five-week battle. Chinese vaccines have nearly 60 per cent efficacy against Delta, with antibodies rising with a booster shot. Almost 1.94 billion vaccine doses have been administered, although the proportion of vaccinated people is still debatable.

 

Officials are using big data to identify risk areas, isolating high-risk groups in centralised zones, and sharing information quickly between regions. Beijing has also been clamping down on officials who mishandled local outbreaks, with dozens punished as authorities rushed to contain transmissions. China is ensuring the safety and wellbeing of its citizens by covering all the bases.