Wuhan in China, where the first COVID outbreak began in December 2019 is now experiencing a surge in new cases brought about by the virus' new delta variant, driving many to panic buy supplies amidst the lockdown.
The situation has become so bad in Wuhan that even the state-run paper Global Times could not deny the "bombshell" damage of this new outbreak, reporting that streets have gone empty and that residents were hoarding food and supplies amidst the citywide lockdowns.
Like many other countries all over the world, China is facing a surge in COVID cases, with the Chinese government reporting that its first cases were confirmed in late July. Among these cases were a couple who traveled to a COVID hotspot, Breitbart reported. It is assumed that China often underreports its case numbers to "minimize the severity of its outbreaks." The evidence, however, lies in how the Chinese government has been addressing the new wave of cases.
Wuhan now has a "dire situation" as evidenced by the Chinese government's move to cut off almost all transportation in and out of the national capital to help stop the spread of COVID. Chinese media insists that shutting down Wuhan in response to just over seven cases of COVID was not "making a mountain out of [a] molehill." But it appeared so, as the Chinese government immediately cancelled face to face classes and slashed tourist capacities by 50%.
Moreover, the Chinese government in Wuhan implemented a COVID testing mandate on Monday for its 11 million-strong population. They have also prepared 31,300 isolation rooms, with an additional 9,000 for the next three days. Up to 56 neighborhoods and 11 construction sites have been ordered to undergo a lockdown.
"China has shown before that it is willing to take tough action to control Covid, and we don't doubt that it will do so again this time," ING's regional head of Asia-Pacific research Robert Carnell told CNBC. "Tough restrictions on movement and travel already in place will likely bring the desired results. But the delta variant is a particularly slippery little critter, and the concern for us, and we imagine, many others, is how quickly this will occur, and at what economic cost in the meantime."
Economists are worried that further lockdowns caused by conditions in Wuhan deteriorating amid a new virus outbreak can impact China's economy, which was the "only major economy to grow last year." Cities such as Wuhan, Beijing, and Nanjing are reporting increased numbers of new COVID cases every day. It is unclear whether these new infections were among the unvaccinated or vaccinated.
In mid July, the state-run Global Times said that the Chinese government has "administered more than 1.4 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines, covering about half of its 1.4 billion population" as per the National Health Commission. This week, they launched a vaccination campaign for those aged 12 to 17 amidst the Nanjing COVID outbreak. Their goal was to vaccinate at least 70% of its entire population by the end of this year.
