From the outset, mystery has shrouded the COVID-19 pandemic in China. The origin of the virus remains unknown, important Chinese journalists and key scientists have been muted, and case and death totals reported by China’s government have been unbelievably low — the United States and most of Western Europe have reported 500 to 1,000 times as many per capita deaths as China.
There are several theories on the reason for the low numbers coming out of China: poor reporting, deliberate or otherwise; a population with immunity, either natural or acquired through previous coronavirus infections; or the Chinese government’s efforts to reach zero COVID-19 infections through mass testing, lockdowns, quarantine and contact tracing. China is the last major country attempting to eliminate COVID-19; other countries have tried with disappointing, and in some cases disastrous, results.
But now the Chinese zero-COVID-19 policy has been put to the test by the highly infectious omicron variant and subvariant. The focal point is the tight government lockdown in China’s largest city, Shanghai. Reports emanating from Shanghai are harrowing. People are prevented from leaving their homes for any reason — they are dependent on the government to deliver medications, food and water. Parents who test positive are sent to isolation centers, separated from their children. Cats and dogs left homeless when their owners are sent away are being killed by public health authorities. Businesses are closing, and there are reports of people scavenging food and committing suicide.
