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China’s COVID-19 epidemic is growing, and the country’s strict COVID policy has led to lockdowns at multiple locations and key factory closings. This has begun to affect the economy.
All COVID-19 measures in the US are continuing to decline, as scientists evaluate whether an additional booster is necessary to address future waves.
China’s Financial Sector Is Affected By Its Lockdown Measures
According to the National Health Commission, China has reported 2,125 locally acquired infections today. This includes 1,337 symptomatic cases and 788 asymptomatic cases.
At the end of February, cases in the country began to rise and now stand at their highest level for 2 years.
Half of Omicron Covid-19 daily cases originate from Jilin, a northeastern province. It is one of the country’s most popular hot spots. According to Xinhua China’s state news agency, the provincial officials have placed travel restrictions on Changchun and Jilin City. They are performing mass testing and building additional field hospitals.
Shenzhen is another hot spot, which is a major technology and industrial hub in Guangdong province’s south. According to Bloomberg News officials have ordered rounds of mass testing. Officials have placed the city’s 17.5 million inhabitants under lockdown for a week. They also announced a series of mass tests. The measures will slow down or stop operations at Foxconn, which produces components for Apple iPhones.
China, despite fully vaccinating 90.3% of its population, has only given a booster dose to 60.5%. China needs to prioritize giving boosters, especially to those over 60, to avoid large numbers of deaths, Kang said.
According to CNBC, an ongoing epidemic in Shanghai has closed schools and prompted rounds of mass testing. It also advised against people fleeing the city.
According to Reuters, Hong Kong continues to experience a surge in cases, with 26,908 more people dying today. Officials from the city said that they don’t plan to impose any new restrictions because there aren’t many other ways to tighten them. Daily deaths in Hong Kong have risen to 300 per day over the past few days. This is a high number compare to other developed countries. Experts suspect this may be due to low levels of vaccination for older people.
The Chinese government has removed many restrictions that it had imposed over the last month to stop the spread of the virus. It has lifted travel restrictions within and between areas, and ended mass lockdowns in entire cities. People infected by SARS-CoV-2 can now isolate at home rather than in central facilities. Chongqing allows people infected with mild to no symptoms to go to work. The National Health Commission has announced last week that testing is voluntary and will no longer report the number of people infected with no symptoms.
Yohan News reported that South Korea’s daily cases exceeded 300,000. The main hot spots were Seoul, the surrounding Georgi Province, and Incheon, the western port city. In order to prevent severe diseases and deaths, health officials have announced that children aged 5-11 years old will be eligible to receive vaccinations starting March 31.
Jilin, a northeastern provincial, is home to half of all daily cases. It is one the most visited areas in the country. According to Xinhua China, Changchun and Jilin City have been placed under travel restrictions by the provincial officials. They are conducting mass testing and building more field hospitals.
Us Markers Continue Steady Decline
The USA has a 7-day average of 35,418, with 1,323 deaths per day, according to a Washington Post . The number of cases dropped 19% over the last week. Hospitalizations fell by 22% and deaths fell by 14%.
Other developments in the US:
- Yesterday, former President Barack Obama declared that he had tested positive for COVID-19. He was fully vaccinated, boosted and has mild symptoms including a scratchy and sore throat.
- Yesterday, Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer, stated on Face The Nation that he believes a fourth dose of vaccine is necessary and that data will be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration. He said that he hopes Pfizer will be able submit data to FDA in April regarding vaccine trials results for children under 5.
- According to Reuters, the Biden Administration indicated that it would like a federal COVID-19 tracking program that started early in the pandemic to track other respiratory viruses and infectious disease effects on patients and hospital resources.
