Chinese authorities have acknowledged that the country is facing a new phase of the pandemic

Chinese authorities have acknowledged that the country is facing a new phase of the pandemic that will require it to adjust its approach, signaling that its government may finally be moving away from strict adherence to a zero-Covid hard-lock policy and sparking unprecedented public protests. across parts of the country.

KEY FACTS

Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who is leading the country's pandemic response, told the country's National Health Commission on Wednesday that they were facing a "new situation" as they grappled with a virus with waning "pathogenicity" while vaccination coverage increased.

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Sun called on health officials to improve testing, treatment, and quarantine measures while increasing efforts to immunize the elderly. In his speech, Sun did not mention zero-Covid, China's current approach to fighting the virus through hard lockdowns and repeated mass testing.

According to Reuters, officials in Guangzhou began lifting lockdowns in parts of the city just a day after massive protests erupted in a manufacturing hub where crowds of protesters clashed with police on Tuesday evening. Another shift in the strategy includes allowing people with asymptomatic infections and people who have been in close contact with infected individuals to be quarantined at home instead of at a government center, the report added.

Officials did not mention the ongoing protests against the zero-Covid approach, although that likely served as a catalyst for the shift.

NEWS PEG

China continues to see a massive increase in new Covid-19 cases. The country reported 36,061 new cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, close to the country's daily record reported earlier this week. However, China's per capita infection rate remains significantly lower than most countries in the West, including the US.

KEY BACKGROUND

As daily Covid-19 counts hit record highs, the effectiveness of the zero-Covid strategy has been questioned. Growing public discontent with the approach reached a boiling point last week after a fire at a high-rise apartment building in the locked western Chinese city of Urumqi left 10 people dead.

The tragedy has raised questions about first responders being hampered by barriers erected around buildings and roads due to Covid measures. This sparked unprecedented public protests against the government and Chinese leader Xi Jinping - with some protesters chanting for his resignation.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

The biggest challenge China faces in reversing its harsh lockdown policy is low vaccine uptake among its elderly. Only 65.7% of people over the age of 80 were fully vaccinated, and an even smaller number of them - 40% - received booster shots, the state-controlled China Daily reported.

Earlier this week, China's National Health Commission unveiled plans to improve vaccination coverage among the elderly. These plans include setting up more vaccination centers in areas frequented by the elderly and requiring those who refuse vaccination to give a reason.