Jia Ruiling’s father * has been in severe pain since March 17. He has late-stage stomach cancer, but his hospital refused to treat him because Jia’s neighborhood was blocked as a result of a handful of Covid cases.
“We asked the hospital to see him again and again,” Jia said. “At one point, my father was in so much pain that he wanted to take his own life. What can we do? Please help us inform the central government. “
China’s strict policy of zero Covid means that all positive cases must be hospitalized. But in the last few weeks, as the number of cases has risen sharply and 26 million people have been severely blocked, mainland China’s most important financial center has stopped. Medical resources are diverted primarily to combat Covid, making it difficult for non-Covid patients, such as Jia’s father, to access them.
Luo Ruixian *, a 39-year-old Chinese worker in the Republic of the Congo, had a similar experience. He flew home in March, hoping to get an ambulance after injuring his left eye.
People with mild and asymptomatic cases of Covid quarantined at the Shanghai New International Expo Center on April 1. Photo: Officer Ding Ting / APAN in personal protective equipment crosses an empty street in Shanghai’s Yanpu district. Photo: AFP / Getty Images
He landed in Shanghai and informed the quarantine hotel and customs officials about his medical needs, but heard nothing for more than a week. “I was worried that if I waited until the quarantine was over, I would go blind,” he said.
Desperate, Luo went to social media site Weibo to ask for help. The local media soon called him and medical help was on the way. “Fortunately, the operation is over,” he said. “It doesn’t have to be that complicated, but as a little potato, everything is so difficult for me.”
The Omicron outbreak in Shanghai is the biggest test of China’s zero-Covid policy to date, and the city is struggling. On Monday, health officials reported 8,581 asymptomatic and 425 symptomatic cases in the previous 24 hours. The numbers are small compared to countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States, but they are some of the largest in China since the virus was first reported in Wuhan in late 2019.
A medical worker conducts Covid tests in the Changning district of Shanghai. Photo: Xinhua / Rex / Shutterstock
Critics say the city, one of China’s most complex, needed to be better prepared. “They have been very successful since 2020, so they have become complacent,” Jia said, stressing that she was not anti-government, but that her father’s suffering had made her “very angry”.
“Both the virus and people are changing,” said Chen Xi, a public health expert at Yale School of Public Health. “This is the first time that the Omicron sub-variant, i.e. BA.2, hits Shanghai. The unprecedented speed of rapid spread exceeds contact tracking and other conventional public health measures. People are also significantly tired of Covid after two or more years of strict health measures. “
Drone footage shows abandoned Shanghai while the city remains blocked – video
Helpless and frustrated
As the blockade continues in China’s largest metropolis, the sense of helplessness is overwhelming. Photos and videos showing young children separated from their parents at a hospital in Shanghai sparked outrage on social media over the weekend. A parent whose young child was abducted after a positive test wrote on social media: “I’m so upset… This is inhuman.”
Several Shanghai-based EU diplomats sent a letter to the city government on March 31st urging it to help its citizens when they need medical help. They also called on Shanghai not to separate children from their parents “regardless of the circumstances.”
Shanghai health officials defended the policy on Monday, while parents and guardians expressed their anger on social media. Wu Qianyu, an official with the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, said the policy was an integral part of the virus’s prevention and control efforts.
People peek through a barrier in a blockade area in Shanghai on March 26. Photo: Ali Song / Reuters
In response to complaints, Ma Chunlei, secretary general of the Shanghai municipal government, admitted on Friday that his administration had handled the outbreak poorly. “Our awareness of the highly contagious and insidious mutant strain Omicron was insufficient and our preparation for a significant increase in infections was not exhaustive,” he said. “We sincerely accept your criticism and are working hard to improve it.”
Despite the recognition, some say things have not improved yet. Deng Zhaoyang’s wife * and three-year-old son have been in a government-run quarantine facility since March 29. “The facility is run by volunteers and no one seems to be responsible. So much so that we don’t even know when they will leave the restaurant, and no one has gone to do their Covid tests, “he said.
Dunn, who emigrated to the city as an adult years ago, said that in the last few years, when things were normal and other parts of China were battling outbreaks, he never imagined the same thing would happen in Shanghai.
“Before Omicron arrived, it was understandable that those who received it would be sent to quarantine facilities,” he said. “But now most of them have only mild symptoms. Shouldn’t the government adjust its policy accordingly? ”
The feeling of dissatisfaction is shared by some of the medical specialists in the city. In a revealing phone call last week, which toured online at home and abroad, an employee of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Shanghai (CDC) said the city’s medical resources were under severe pressure.
A man delivers quarantined food to the Puxi country of Shanghai. Photo: Alex Plavevski / EPA
“I have already suggested [to higher officials] many times those with mild or no symptoms simply need to be quarantined at home, “she said, adding that current efforts to control the virus are more policy-related. “But who listened to me?” However, some Chinese Internet users called it “wrong” and “dangerous.” On Saturday, the Shanghai Pudong CDC said it was investigating the caller’s complaint. He also issued an internal notice telling staff on the hotline to speak with one voice.
It is so important for other regions in China to learn and step up vaccination before local Chen Xi growth begins
On the same day, Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chunlan stressed “Covid’s unwavering adherence to Covid’s dynamic zero approach” during an official visit to Shanghai, according to Xinhua. Less than 24 hours later, the Chinese military sent more than 2,000 medics to Shanghai to support efforts to curb the spread of the virus.
“Not sustainable”
Jin Dong-yang, a professor at the University of Hong Kong’s School of Biomedical Sciences, said it would be weeks before the virus was controlled. “Even if they manage to achieve zero Covid with an extremely high price, another accident could lead to another big leap … Living with the virus is the only viable option,” he said.
Much of the “live with the virus” is associated with an effective vaccine. Officials have begun talking openly in recent months about mRNA vaccines, suggesting that authorities may have considered vaccines other than China’s Sinopharm and Sinovac. Dr Zhong Nanshan, the country’s leading respiratory expert, said in December that China needed to learn about good things in other countries, such as mRNA vaccines. The Shanghai government also said in an official document last week that it supports imports of vaccines and drugs to treat Covid.
“Deploy rapid antigen tests [RAT] and the approval of mRNA vaccines are feasible as they have sufficient data on [the authorities] to approve the mRNA vaccine, as well as adequate RAT mass production capacity, “Chen said, adding that both the low levels of vaccination among the elderly and the vaccine technology used in China are” alarming. “
“The remaining time window is shrinking rapidly,” he said. “It’s so important for other regions in China to learn and step up vaccinations before the local jump begins.”
A man is standing behind the fence in the quarantined complex in Puxi. Photo: Alex Plavevski / EPA
To Jia, the idea of living with the virus seems remote. She just hopes her father is sent to the cancer hospital as soon as possible. “His pain has been relieved as a result of higher doses of painkillers over the past few days, but this is not a sustainable solution. He needs to see a doctor, “she said.
Ever since Jia revealed her father’s test online last week, she has said she has received media attention. Maybe because of the pressure, her local district authorities called her to say they could send her father to the hospital.
“But they had one requirement,” she said. “They wanted me to remove my social media posts first. I rejected. In the end, they failed to send my father to the oncology hospital because they are only a district government, and yet they failed to convince an institution at the municipal level. “
* Names have been changed to protect your identity
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