蜜芽传媒

A number of Covid infections in China have been linked to a single bar in the capital Beijing, officials say, with a government spokesman describing the outbreak as "ferocious". The number of infections in the city is low by international standards but high for China, which is the world's only major economy still maintaining a "zero Covid" policy. In response, three days of mass testing have been announced in the city.

Ben Cowling is an epidemiologist in Hong Kong. He says the outbreak has come as a surprise, and that the city authorites are desperately tracking mobile data and video footage to find those responsble for the infections. He believes they will be hoping they can avoid a city-wide lockdown, given the expense and disruption this causes. Shanghai, who only just came out of a two-month lockdown, spent three per cent of their GDP on testing alone. He believes there is still support for a 'zero Covid' strategy in China, but very difficult to avoid outbreaks altogether, and the policy is very expensive to maintain.

"As costs continue to mount and disruption continues, there has to be a plan to transition away from zero Covid."

Photo: A medical worker takes a swab sample in Beijing, 13 June 2022 Credit: Reuters

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