China to Defeat Omicron Again with Dynamic Zero-COVID Policy

China to Defeat Omicron Again with Dynamic Zero-COVID Policy

Photo taken on April 3, 2022 shows a view of the makeshift hospital at the China Flower Expo park in Chongming District of east China's Shanghai. (Xinhua/Ding Ting)

BEIJING, April 8 (Xinhua) -- China will firmly adhere to the dynamic zero-COVID policy as it battles the resurgence of the Omicron variant. The country believes that its efforts will guarantee success.

Conforming to the national conditions, the policy has taken a scientific approach and proven effective in containing clusters of infections within few weeks in cities such as Nanjing, Tianjin and Xi'an over the past two years.

East China's metropolis Shanghai, with a population of 25 million, has now become a major battleground against the virus. The megacity reported over 20,000 new domestic infections on Thursday, and its total infections have surpassed 130,000 since the start of March. It has employed a temporary closed-off management strategy for days with rounds of citywide nucleic acid testing. This ambitious approach has been possible thanks to the aid of more than 38,000 medical workers from across the country. Its neighboring provinces have also provided extra quarantine spaces.

Two major concerns of the Omicron variant are the rate of transmission and the symptoms that are harder to detect. But it cannot be treated as a wide-spread case of the common flu. Its threat to human beings, especially those with underlying health issues, should not be overlooked. This is evident from the increasing death toll worldwide.

China's dynamic zero-COVID approach uses rapid, resolute and strict measures to minimize the impact of the epidemic and the number of infections, severe cases and deaths. Ultimately, it aims to bring the epidemic under control in the shortest possible time.

With its unswerving implementation of the dynamic zero-COVID approach, China, as a responsible country, has the resolve, experience, and capacity to soon bring the latest resurgences under control and maintain strong economic growth.