Tell HN: China Is Entering Lockdown • Hacker News Board

Re: Tell HN: China Is Entering Lockdown

#81

Post by petesergeant » Sun, Mar 13, 2022, 9:03 AM UTC

rob74 wrote: post #65

user_named wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my opinion china's policies have been the best, maybe together with New Zealand. We've basically been living as normal, much more so than any other country, except for some local cases here and there when there was a month of tightening. That's why I think it's ironic that once the virus basically becomes non-threatening, China has to enter the same type of lockdown as other countries did two years before. And tha…

The "zero Covid" approach has been doable with the "old" virus variants, but with Omicron being so infectious, it's (IMHO) simply not feasible anymore. And I wouldn't call it "non-threatening", maybe less threatening. Maybe now we are at the stage where we can really compare it with the flu and handle it with the same approach. Of course maybe another variant will appear that's as infectious as Omicron but as dangero…

Same with delta and Thailand. Thailand (with thousands of km of land border) was making Covid Zero work (ignoring the fucking the tourism industry got) until delta came along. I think China is about to show us Covid Zero can’t survive omicron.

Re: Tell HN: China Is Entering Lockdown

#82

Post by barry-cotter » Sun, Mar 13, 2022, 9:03 AM UTC

user_named wrote: post #47

benjaminwootton wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you still have to do social distancing, limiting numbers, limiting hospitality, QR checkins etc? Are people living in fear of Covid etc? I’m not saying it’s like that in China, but I would find it pretty hard to live like that plus no international travel to maintain zero Covid.

Social distancing has never been a big thing in China because we've had masks for two years. It's only when for example lining up for a covid test that there's been marked one meter distances you had to pay attention to. Only anti-mask backwards countries have promoted social distancing as a measure. You sometimes check in with qr, but most of the time you just show your green health code which is a qr too, and sign…

> Social distancing has never been a big thing in China because we've had masks for two years. It's only when for example lining up for a covid test that there's been marked one meter distances you had to pay attention to.

I haven’t seen anyone pay attention to those stickers in over a year. In the group chats I’m in everyone is complaining about how they can’t even test building by building instead of getting entire compounds to wait in line at the same time. Social distancing is not a thing.

Re: Tell HN: China Is Entering Lockdown

#83

Post by dmurray » Sun, Mar 13, 2022, 9:04 AM UTC

captainmuon wrote: post #34

user_named wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my opinion china's policies have been the best, maybe together with New Zealand. We've basically been living as normal, much more so than any other country, except for some local cases here and there when there was a month of tightening. That's why I think it's ironic that once the virus basically becomes non-threatening, China has to enter the same type of lockdown as other countries did two years before. And tha…

Yeah, it is really ironic. I've heard a story that one of the reasons Sinovac is not as effective as other vaccinations is that they didn't have enough infected people for the trials.

How would that work? They develop the vaccine first, then do the trials. And in any case the Chinese vaccines were trialed outside China (Brazil, Philippines, others - not sure about Sinovac specifically) largely for this reason.

Re: Tell HN: China Is Entering Lockdown

#84

Post by user_named » Sun, Mar 13, 2022, 9:04 AM UTC

elric wrote: post #76

user_named wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

I don't necessarily disagree with that statement, but it'd be nice if you backed it up with some actual examples.

No post body was provided.

Re: Tell HN: China Is Entering Lockdown

#85

Post by hutzlibu » Sun, Mar 13, 2022, 9:05 AM UTC

user_named wrote: post #24

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…

In my opinion china's policies have been the best, maybe together with New Zealand. We've basically been living as normal, much more so than any other country, except for some local cases here and there when there was a month of tightening. That's why I think it's ironic that once the virus basically becomes non-threatening, China has to enter the same type of lockdown as other countries did two years before. And tha…

"In my opinion china's policies have been the best"

Interesting, but could you really express any other opinion without fear of repression of some kind, while living in china?

Re: Tell HN: China Is Entering Lockdown

#86

Post by petesergeant » Sun, Mar 13, 2022, 9:06 AM UTC

> can't quarantine and hospitalize people for omicron when it is not dangerous

There are enough people it’s dangerous for, especially in a population not widely exposed to it and who haven’t had mRNA boosters, that it can cause hospitals to jam up and pictures of grandma dying on a stretcher outside a regional hospital.

This is a political big deal when you’ve spent 2 years mouthing off about the decadent West’s poor handling of the pandemic.

Re: Tell HN: China Is Entering Lockdown

#87

Post by user_named » Sun, Mar 13, 2022, 9:07 AM UTC

petesergeant wrote: post #86

> can't quarantine and hospitalize people for omicron when it is not dangerous There are enough people it’s dangerous for, especially in a population not widely exposed to it and who haven’t had mRNA boosters, that it can cause hospitals to jam up and pictures of grandma dying on a stretcher outside a regional hospital. This is a political big deal when you’ve spent 2 years mouthing off about the decadent West’s poor…

Good point. This is going to be tricky.

Re: Tell HN: China Is Entering Lockdown

#88

Post by bdlowery » Sun, Mar 13, 2022, 9:07 AM UTC

Crazy that every nation other than china has had 3 big “waves” of Covid cases. Yet somehow china has only had the initial wave of Covid back in early 2020 and nothing else until now.

Very strange.

Re: Tell HN: China Is Entering Lockdown

#89

Post by Taniwha » Sun, Mar 13, 2022, 9:08 AM UTC

rob74 wrote: post #65

user_named wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my opinion china's policies have been the best, maybe together with New Zealand. We've basically been living as normal, much more so than any other country, except for some local cases here and there when there was a month of tightening. That's why I think it's ironic that once the virus basically becomes non-threatening, China has to enter the same type of lockdown as other countries did two years before. And tha…

The "zero Covid" approach has been doable with the "old" virus variants, but with Omicron being so infectious, it's (IMHO) simply not feasible anymore. And I wouldn't call it "non-threatening", maybe less threatening. Maybe now we are at the stage where we can really compare it with the flu and handle it with the same approach. Of course maybe another variant will appear that's as infectious as Omicron but as dangero…

Yes, but here in NZ heavy but most;y short lockdowns, and more importantly border closures have given us the time to get our vax rates into the 90%+ double vaxxed level - it means that Omicron is now zooming through, but our death rate from the beginning of the pandemic is likely to be relatively tiny compared with countries that let it rip - we just crossed 100 deaths total since the beginning of 2020 which is still more than the drop in the road toll in lockdown and reduction in deaths from flu - we're still ahead on the deal - it will get worse before it gets better but 99% of us will still be here.

China is in roughly the same position, apparently their vaccine isn't as good as the mRNA ones, but it still provides protection and again they've had the time to get most people vaccinated before omicron passes through, they'll be better off because of it

Re: Tell HN: China Is Entering Lockdown

#90

Post by user_named » Sun, Mar 13, 2022, 9:08 AM UTC

hutzlibu wrote: post #85

user_named wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my opinion china's policies have been the best, maybe together with New Zealand. We've basically been living as normal, much more so than any other country, except for some local cases here and there when there was a month of tightening. That's why I think it's ironic that once the virus basically becomes non-threatening, China has to enter the same type of lockdown as other countries did two years before. And tha…

"In my opinion china's policies have been the best" Interesting, but could you really express any other opinion without fear of repression of some kind, while living in china?

Yes. I can say anything I like about Xi Jinping when I'm on HN. HN is blocked in China btw.