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☆ New Covid model predicts over 1 million deaths in China through 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

According to the group's projections, cases in China would peak around April 1, when deaths would reach 322,000. About a third of China's population will have been infected by then, IHME Director Christopher Murray said. China's national health authority has not reported any official Covid deaths since the lifting of Covid restrictions. China's zero-Covid policy may have been effective at keeping earlier variants of the virus at bay, but the high transmissibility of Omicron variants made it impossible to sustain, he said. Based on China's population of 1.41 billion, and without measures such as a mass vaccination booster campaign, that amounts to 964,400 deaths.

[1/4] People wait in line at a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) test centre in Xinyang, China, this still image obtained from social media video released December 15, 2022. China reported 2,157 new symptomatic COVID-19 infections for Dec. 15 compared with 2,000 a day. There is particular concern about China's hinterland in the run up to China's Lunar New Year holiday starting on Jan. 22. The COVID scare in China also led people in Hong Kong, Macau and in some neighbourhoods in Australia to go in search for fever medicines and test kits for family and friends on the mainland. JP Morgan on Friday revised down its expectations for China's 2022 growth to 2.8%, which is well below China's official target of 5.5% and would mark one of China's worst performances in almost half a century.

☆ U.S. should've spied on Chinese health officials who were hiding what they knew about Covid, Congress says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Dilanianmug.Jpg | Ken Dilanian | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

U.S. intelligence agencies began warning that Covid-19 could become a pandemic just weeks after the coronavirus was first reported in China, but they missed an opportunity to better understand its spread because they didn’t quickly begin spying on Chinese health officials who were hiding what they knew, says a newly declassified report by the House Intelligence Committee. The report partly vindicates the CIA and other U.S. spy agencies, noting that they raised the specter of a pandemic well before the World Health Organization declared one on March 11, 2020. And it adds to the body of evidence showing that then-President Donald Trump misled the public about what he was hearing from advisers about the seriousness of the virus. Investigators said they were “unable to corroborate” reports by NBC News and ABC News that U.S. spies collected raw intelligence in November indicating a health crisis in Wuhan, China. The report says the first intelligence report mentioning the virus that would become known as coronavirus or Covid-19 came on the day of the first media report about it.

[1/2] People line up next to a medical worker in a protective suit, at a fever clinic of a hospital amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Beijing, China December 15, 2022. The pivot away from President Xi Jinping's signature "zero-COVID" policy followed unprecedented widespread protests against it. But, WHO emergencies director Mike Ryan said COVID-19 infections were exploding in China well before the government's decision to phase out its stringent regime. There are increasing signs of chaos during China's exit from the zero-COVID policy - with long queues outside fever clinics, runs on medicines, and panic buying across the country. China Meheco Group Co Ltd (600056.SS) said on Wednesday it signed a deal to import the U.S. drugmaker's treatment.

China's health authority did not immediately respond to a request for comment on infections among medical staff. A few nurses at the fever clinic were tested positive, there aren’t any special protective measures for hospital staff and I believe many of us will soon get infected," Li added. A post on the Weibo social media platform recounted a recent experience at the emergency ward at Beijing Hospital. "Those who have not been to the emergency department of Beijing Hospital don't know what a mess it has become," wrote a Weibo user called Moshang. Beijing Hospital did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment.

But for a place that until earlier this month assiduously tracked every case, there is now no clear data on the extent of the virus’ spread. Customers queue at a pharmacy in Beijing, China, on Tuesday, December 13. Authorities on Wednesday morning reported 2,249 symptomatic Covid cases nationally for the previous day, 20% of which were detected in the capital. A closed Covid testing booth in Beijing, China, on Tuesday, December 13. Chinese state media has since warned people the preserved fruit is not a Covid remedy nor a substitute for medicine.

☆ China's COVID spike not due to lifting of restrictions, WHO director says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The comments by the WHO's emergencies director Mike Ryan came as he warned of the need to ramp up vaccinations in the world's No. Speaking at a briefing with media, he said the virus was spreading "intensively" in the nation long before the lifting of restrictions. "There's a narrative at the moment that China lifted the restrictions and all of a sudden the disease is out of control," he said. "The disease was spreading intensively because I believe the control measures in themselves were not stopping the disease. Beijing started pivoting away from its signature "zero-COVID" policy this month after protests against the economically damaging curbs championed by President Xi Jinping.

☆ Omicron BQ, XBB subvariants are a serious threat to boosters and knock out antibody treatments, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The omicron subvariants that have become dominant in recent months present a serious threat to the effectiveness of the new boosters, render antibody treatments ineffective and could cause a surge of breakthrough infections, according to a new study. The BQ.1, BQ.1.1, XBB and XBB.1 omicron subvariants are the most immune evasive variants of Covid-19 to date, according to scientists affiliated with Columbia University and the University of Michigan. The immune response of people who were vaccinated and had breakthrough infections with prior omicron variants was also weaker against the subvariants. For people who received the omicron boosters, antibodies that block infection were 24 times lower against BQ.1, 41 times lower against BQ.1.1, 66 times lower against XBB and 85 times lower against XBB.1 compared to their performance against the ancestral strain that emerged in Wuhan, China in 2019. BQ.1.1 and BQ.1 represent 37% and 31% of new infections respectively, while XBB is causing 4.7% of new infections, according to CDC data.

☆ Oil steadies after falls as weak economy offsets supply risks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Dmitry Zhdannikov | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

China, the world's biggest crude oil importer, continued to loosen its strict zero-COVID policy, though streets in the capital Beijing remained quiet and many businesses stayed shut over the weekend. UBS said it believed Brent should recover to above $100 per barrel in the coming months amid supply constraints and rising demand while OPEC+ would keep supply tight. On Sunday, Canada's TC Energy (TRP.TO) said it had not yet determined the cause of the Keystone oil pipeline leak last week in the United States. "The emergent EU embargo on Russian crude... may add moderate upside energy price risks in the next few months. But supply uncertainty should ease by spring 2023, after the embargo on oil products (on Feb.5) plays out," Deutsche Bank said in a note.

Brent crude futures were down 38 cents, or 0.4%, at $75.72 a barrel by 0900 GMT. China, the world's biggest crude oil importer, continued to loosen its strict zero-COVID policy, though streets in the capital Beijing remained quiet and many businesses stayed shut over the weekend. UBS said it believed Brent should recover to above $100 per barrel in the coming months amid supply constraints and rising demand while OPEC+ would keep supply tight. On Sunday, Canada's TC Energy (TRP.TO) said it had not yet determined the cause of the Keystone oil pipeline leak last week in the United States. "The emergent EU embargo on Russian crude... may add moderate upside energy price risks in the next few months.

☆ Oil edges up on U.S. pipeline restart uncertainty, Russian supplies
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Emily Chow | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Oil prices are higher as the Keystone pipeline remains shut, China's COVID controls ease and on concerns that Russia could reduce output," said Edward Moya, a senior market analyst for OANDA. On Sunday, Canada's TC Energy (TRP.TO) said it had not yet determined the cause of the Keystone oil pipeline leak last week in the United States. Putin said on Friday that Russia, the world's biggest exporter of energy, could cut production and would refuse to sell oil to any country that imposes a "stupid" price cap on Russian exports agreed by G7 nations. While the uncertainty surrounding European Union sanctions on Russian oil and the related price cap kept volatility high on prices, the sanctions have had a limited impact on global markets so far, ANZ analysts said in a note. Saudi Arabia's energy minister also said on Sunday that the impact of the European sanctions and price cap measures had had no clear results yet, and that its implementation was still unclear.

☆ China COVID infection fears fuel medical stock bets
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

China's healthcare index (.CSIHC) gained almost 1% on Monday morning, despite a 0.8% drop in the benchmark CSI300 Index (.CSI300). Hu Qiang, fund manager at Yunchuang Investment, said demand for antigen testing had just taken off. Listed medical firms are also busy fielding investors' queries about how they are preparing for a potential worsening COVID situation. Lepu Medical Technology (300003.SZ), which produces cardiovascular and diagnosis devices, told investors it would adjust production plans to meet market demand for COVID testing. Easy Diagnosis said on an investor relations platform that it was able to ramp up production quickly, as cancellation of nucleic acid testing in many places would boost demand for antigen testing at home.

[1/4] Women wearing face masks and face shields talk on a street, as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreaks continue in Shanghai, China, December 12, 2022. Reuters witnessed similar queues outside clinics in the central city of Wuhan, where COVID-19 first emerged three years ago. But the figures reflect the dropping of testing requirements, say analysts, while Chinese health expects have warned of an imminent surge. Yet China is pushing ahead with efforts to free up nationwide travel, even if foreign trips may still be a while off. The number of domestic flights available across China exceeded 7,400, nearly double from a week ago, flight tracker app VariFlight showed.

☆ Businesses in China's Wuhan face fresh worries after COVID easing
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Martin Quin Pollard | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WUHAN, China, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Infections are delivering a fresh kick in the teeth for many small businesses in China's central city of Wuhan, despite the easing of most stringent curbs last week. "This street is considered a top location in Wuhan," Zhu added. The only queue within several hundred metres was outside a pharmacy, where people waited to stock up on medicines to treat the symptoms of COVID. People just do not have much money anymore, said a Wuhan taxi driver, surnamed Sun, adding that subsidies had made the 2020 lockdown more manageable than this year's measures. "Now, it’s a tiny bit better, but I can only make enough to pay back the company my monthly taxi rental fee."

☆ Oil up $2 a barrel on supply risks amid ongoing Keystone outage
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude settled at $73.17 a barrel, rising $2.15, or 3%. The potential of a prolonged outage of TC Energy Corp's Canada-to-U.S. Keystone crude oil pipeline helped turn prices around. Traders worried about how long it would take to clean up and restart the Keystone oil pipeline after more than 14,000 barrels of oil leaked last week, the largest U.S. crude oil spill in nearly a decade. The outage is expected to shrink supplies at the Cushing, Oklahoma storage hub, and delivery point for benchmark U.S. crude oil futures. "The emergent EU embargo on Russian crude... may add moderate upside energy price risks in the next few months.

☆ Elon Musk suggests Dr. Fauci should be prosecuted and mocks gender pronouns in controversial tweet — the latest in a series of statements fueling right-wing viewpoints
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Bethany Biron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk suggested that Dr. Anthony Fauci should be prosecuted in a tweet posted on Sunday. The tweet is the latest in a series of posts supporting right-wing efforts and conspiracies in recent months. "My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci," Musk wrote on Sunday in a now-viral tweet that has generated significant backlash. The tweet is the latest of several recent quips from Musk empowering right-wing viewpoints and conspiracies. "I absolutely support trans, but all these pronouns are an esthetic nightmare," Musk wrote at the time.

But the popular traditional Chinese medicine Lianhua Qingwen, used for symptoms like fever and cough, and antigen test kits remained harder to find. Online pharmacies across China have run out of drugs and test kits, prompting the government to crack down on hoarding. Heat was insufficient because of "unstable" coal supplies caused by COVID, state-run Baoding Daily reported, without giving details. "I have no fear" of COVID, said Yang, a farmer who is fully vaccinated and with no underlying diseases. China has reported no deaths since easing the COVID curbs, with fatalities to date around 5,200, versus more than 1 million in the United States.

☆ China cracks down on drug price gouging amid fears of COVID spike
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

China announced 10 measures on Wednesday that loosened key parts of President Xi Jinping's signature zero-COVID policy, in a dramatic pivot toward economic reopening. But concerns are increasing of a spike in infections as people scramble for cough medicines, flu drugs and masks. China's State Administration for Market Regulation admonished against price gouging in anti-COVID products, citing the need to better protect human lives and health. In a warning letter posted on Friday, the watchdog banned activities including price inflation, collusion, price discrimination, misleading propaganda and hoarding. In addition, they must not hoard anti-pandemic supplies that are in short supply, or spread word of price hikes to disrupt market order, the watchdog said.

☆ As 'zero-Covid' nears end, Chinese remember whistleblower doctor
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Dorothy Kam | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In this 2020 photo, flower bouquets sit outside of the Houhu Branch of Wuhan Central Hospital in honor of late ophthalmologist Li Wenliang. Li, a doctor who was punished after raising the alarm about the new coronavirus, died on Feb. 7, 2020 after being infected by the pathogen. As China moves away from its strict "zero-Covid" controls, there has been a resurgence of online tributes to Li Wenliang, a whistleblower doctor who became a symbol of public dissatisfaction with the ruling Communist Party's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. This week, Chinese officials announced they were abandoning key pillars of President Xi Jinping's "zero-Covid" strategy, including broad lockdowns, mass testing and quarantine in centralized government facilities. The latest easing of restrictions comes after mass protests across China against the "zero-Covid" controls, with some demonstrators calling for Xi to step down.

☆ As ‘zero-Covid’ nears end, Chinese remember whistleblower doctor
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Dorothy Kam | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Weeks later, as the coronavirus shut down cities in China and began spreading around the world, Li died from the disease after contracting it at work. This week, Chinese officials announced they were abandoning key pillars of President Xi Jinping’s “zero-Covid” strategy, including broad lockdowns, mass testing and quarantine in centralized government facilities. Many social media users rushed to tell Li, flooding his profile on Weibo, a Twitter-like platform, with expressions of gratitude, celebration and grief. The latest easing of restrictions comes after mass protests across China against the “zero-Covid” controls, with some demonstrators calling for Xi to step down. Some Weibo users vowed to make Li proud as case numbers rise.

In the central city of Wuhan, where the pandemic erupted in late 2019, there were more signs of life with some areas busy with commuters on Friday. "They've relaxed the measures but still, there’s nobody about," said a taxi driver surnamed Wang, who didn't want to give his full name. But there are signs the reassuring new message has still to convince many of the country's 1.4 billion people. China's current tally of 5,235 COVID-related deaths is a tiny fraction of its population of 1.4 billion, and extremely low by global standards. Some experts have warned that toll could rise above 1.5 million if the exit is too hasty.

☆ In China's Wuhan, a shadow of reserve and resentment even as COVID lockdowns ease
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Martin Quin Pollard | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"We know the country is reopening but we ourselves haven't let down our guard," said one Wuhan cornershop owner. "This has never happened before, not even at the start of the outbreak in 2020," said one Wuhan pharmacist surnamed Liu. Health authorities in Wuhan reported 229 new COVID cases on Thursday, while health authorities in Beijing reported more than 16,000 cases nationwide on the same day. REUTERS/Martin Pollard 1 2 3 4By November, as frustration towards the zero-COVID policies mounted, some Wuhan residents like Sam Yuen, a teacher, joined protests demanding an end to the lockdowns, alongside thousands of others in cities across China. City authorities put the official death toll at 3,869 in April 2020.

REUTERS/Thomas PeterBEIJING, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Searches on Chinese travel sites surged and social media platforms were flooded with delight and relief on Wednesday as the public cheered the biggest loosening of some of the world's strictest COVID policies. CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM, EXHAUSTIONThe news was also welcomed by foreign business groups, many of which had become increasingly outspoken about the damage the zero-COVID policy was having on China's economy and the operations of their companies. "Timely implementation will help stabilise China’s economy and get life back to normal," the European Chamber of Commerce in China said of the 10 measures announced on Wednesday. It also urged China to roll out mRNA vaccines for domestic use as part of a vaccination drive with the elderly a priority. Reporting by Sophie Yu and Martin Pollard, Writing by Brenda Goh; Editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/4] People wearing masks line up outside a pharmacy to buy products as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreaks continue in Beijing, China December 6, 2022. China may announce 10 new national easing measures as early as Wednesday, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. So, because right now in Chaoyang district cases are quite high, it is better to stock up on some medicines," he said. In the latest incident, videos posted on Twitter showed university students chanting protest slogans against COVID policies on their campus in Nanjing city. The uneven nature of the easing measures and varying interpretation of the rules from city to city has been an ongoing source of frustration for many people and businesses.

☆ China Covid restrictions: Protesters win a partial victory as cities start to loosen controls
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Following protests nationwide, some local Chinese authorities have started to ease Covid restrictions – in what appears to be a shift toward gradual reopening as the country nears entering the fourth year of the pandemic. “I feel like everyone’s hard work is paying off,” said a protester who took part in a demonstration in Beijing. “Policy flip-flop is common.”In some cities, the partial relaxation has caused confusion and chaos on the ground. In Beijing, public venues such as shopping malls and office buildings still require a 48-hour negative Covid test for entry. I don’t celebrate, I just remember those brave friends with gratitude,” a Beijing resident posted on Weibo, in a reference to the protesters.

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