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Tell HN: China Is Entering Lockdown

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Re: Tell HN: China Is Entering Lockdown

#51

Post by beebmam »

user_named wrote: post #32
benjaminwootton wrote: post #21

It’s amazing the costs China are willing to bear for this. Inevitably they will lose the war, and when they do it is a mild disease going into what I assume is a well vaccinated population. The UK has been hard at times in 2020 and 2021, but Covid feels like ancient history here now, as it should do.

I think it's the opposite. Chinas economy was quickly back to normal in 2020 while other countries suffered. But it's going to be costly this time, for little return.

It's such an absurd tradeoff for the Omicron variant, which is less deadly than the flu[1]. COVID isn't ever going away. China seems to be willing to pay a giant recurring cost, eternally, for an infection less harmful than the flu. Insane.

1. https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1501773203261165570

Re: Tell HN: China Is Entering Lockdown

#52

Post by strogonoff »

captainmuon wrote: post #20

But even now, given that China is such a huge country, I think that the fraction of people inconvenienced by lockdown measures and other disturbances is smaller than in most western countries. Here in Germany, they are lifting most restrictions soon, but for example a lot of teachers are sick - which affects the childrens' parents as they can't go to work, and then their colleagues, and so on. It will take a long tim…

Can we trust disease statistics coming out of a system where everybody from regular citizens to local officials is incentivized to not report possible COVID cases?

There is a reason fever medication in China had been selling so well that the government wanted to control its sales (don’t know if they ended up going there or not), while the country reported almost no COVID.

Re: Tell HN: China Is Entering Lockdown

#53

Post by user_named »

jskrablin wrote: post #48
user_named wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's been perfectly fine except you haven't been able to leave the country and come back, except for some exceptions. I mean I know people who left for Christmas and came back but that's a lot of work and risking policy change while you're gone.

Which works ok if you're an island in the middle of nowhere, but it works a lot less ok if you're an EU county with people used to the idea of travelling anywhere without even having to show an ID. We've been through some pretty rough two years, but most of restrictions are now lifted or lifting. With the amount of people being either vaccinated or recovered from covid infection we should be over the whole pandemic d…

EU countries have been incredibly incompetent in their handling of covid. What you're saying about expecting to travel freely is just copium. Pretty much all EU leadership should be fired and possibly prosecuted. I'm European myself btw.

Re: Tell HN: China Is Entering Lockdown

#55

Post by user_named »

synergyS wrote: post #46
mrintellectual wrote: post #4

I can sympathize with your situation. I was in an office building in Shanghai last November when it got locked down for 48 hours - nobody in or out. Everybody ended up ordering takeout, and the entire building had to be tested for COVID a total of four times. The most insane part is that they don't even let you take pictures of the lockdown (I almost got my phone confiscated by the police for taking pictures). Also,…

Omg pretty strict procedure, you had to remain in the office for 48 hours?

Yes, offices become quarantine sites if someone test positive.

Re: Tell HN: China Is Entering Lockdown

#56

Post by [deleted] »

user_named wrote: post #32
benjaminwootton wrote: post #21

It’s amazing the costs China are willing to bear for this. Inevitably they will lose the war, and when they do it is a mild disease going into what I assume is a well vaccinated population. The UK has been hard at times in 2020 and 2021, but Covid feels like ancient history here now, as it should do.

I think it's the opposite. Chinas economy was quickly back to normal in 2020 while other countries suffered. But it's going to be costly this time, for little return.

[deleted]

Re: Tell HN: China Is Entering Lockdown

#57

Post by imiric »

elric wrote: post #36

Only a thousand daily cases in a country with a population of 1G? That's either very impressive, or very impressively underreported. For comparison, Belgium currently has 10 times as many daily new cases, with a population that's 100 times smaller (and no lockdown).

And 8K deaths since 2020: https://covid19.who.int/region/wpro/country/cn

How the WHO can report these numbers with a straight face is beyond me.

Re: Tell HN: China Is Entering Lockdown

#58

Post by user_named »

tootahe45 wrote: post #54

> Hopefully WFH gains acceptance and becomes normalized Why would this suddenly happen now considering it didn't happen anywhere over the past 2 years?

Because we only had 2-3 months of lockdown before, after that it's been business as usual. But to contain omicron you need literally everyone to stay at home, and also more will need to as I think it will be impossible to not be a second degree contact a month from now.

Re: Tell HN: China Is Entering Lockdown

#60

Post by user_named »

beebmam wrote: post #51
user_named wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's the opposite. Chinas economy was quickly back to normal in 2020 while other countries suffered. But it's going to be costly this time, for little return.

It's such an absurd tradeoff for the Omicron variant, which is less deadly than the flu[1]. COVID isn't ever going away. China seems to be willing to pay a giant recurring cost, eternally, for an infection less harmful than the flu. Insane. 1. https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1501773203261165570

As I mentioned, policy will change after this as it becomes clear that it is not fit for omicron.
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