How was China able to contain the covid-19?

After almost one year since the first covid-19 cases where announced, the planet is still stuck with a large pandemic and most authorities are still unable to set the virus under control. However and very surprisingly, some countries have managed to reduce new cases to minimal levels, while others continue to see a steady increase. According to numbers, China is among the very few nations that has managed to keep the virus spreading on the decline. The happening tends to raise various questions regarding China’s methods that have contributed to this achievement and this report aims to investigate how the mainland’s response differs from other large countries. Overall our aim is to create awareness on the matter.

First of all we must start by noting that various important officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) have directly congratulated China and its health workers, for the splendid job they have done to control the virus outspread. This is solid evidence that WHO has taken in mind the global circumstances of the virus, has noted other countries response to the matter and has made comparisons which confirmed that China’s response is very accurate. Also countries like the US, India, Brazil and the UK, have populations that are significantly lower than China’s, yet have registered millions of infected cases. China on the other hand, has managed to keep the number nearby 100K which implies that the measures that were taken, had been strategic and can be studied or even copied by others.

Looking into China’s past can help us identify how the nation was able to quickly adapt to the circumstances of the virus. Back in 2003 a severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) respiratory disease was identified in China and spread to 4 other countries according to WHO. Even though the virus did not cause a global pandemic at the time, it forced the Chinese to create awareness over such diseases and the possible health impact on the society. Once the first covid-19 cases were identified back in December 2019 in Wuhan, the Chinese were able to identify its symptoms and took notice of the fast virus spread. On the last days of 2019, the Chinese had officially announced the detection and named the novel coronavirus as an official public health threat. After the official announcement of the virus, a number of immediate measures was announced in the following days. Wuhan was placed under lockdown and travel restrictions were imposed as a first attempt to isolate the virus.

Inside Wuhan, citizens could not use public transportation as it was set out of service. The measures were soon imposed on other cities of the Hubei province of which Wuhan belongs to. Furthermore, schools were suspended and children were left at home with their families. Also, aggressive measures like only allowing one member of each family to leave the house for necessary purposes like shopping or services reasons were implemented. The idea to reduce citizen movement to minimal levels was very much the game plan of the Chinese authorities and was very well understood by the people. These were not measures imposed as a way to spread fear in people and force them to stay home, as some European citizens have viewed them. These were measures to reduce the spread of the virus and protect the people. There is a very different viewpoint in the pre mentioned statements. In general, following up on these measures could be very challenging, especially for the citizens of Wuhan that were placed in a lockdown for 76 days in a row.

Yet, people followed authorities’ orders working towards a common goal and succeeded. In the meantime China acted in great speed to setup rapid testing points. Rapid tests in Wuhan specifically brought out all the virus carriers and placed thousands on quarantine, with special cases being transferred to the hospital. In a matter of one month, approximately 9 million people were tested, possibly dragging out of the dark thousands of asymptomatic cases that could have potentially spread the virus even further, without the knowledge of testing positive. The extensive testing is something that the Chinese acted upon with lighting speed and is considered as the biggest contributor of saving lives and people from covid-19. Further support to keeping a lid on the virus outbreak, was how the Chinese turned stadiums and other large buildings into hospitals. At these buildings, patients were able to isolate themselves protecting their families from being exposed to the virus by their presence.

Once rapid testing was in place and people with even the slightest of symptoms could find out if positive or not, the Chinese made another important announcement. They announced the wide adoption of mask wearing in public. As China has a huge manufacturing sector, it managed to produce large amounts of masks as they became mandatory for all people at all times outside their home. Even as months past and the virus started making its way in other continents the adoption of masks was not strictly imposed by many countries. Especially in the US, mask usage was not recommended which may have led to a mass spreading of the virus. In general, there was a lack of clarity over the use of masks and as time progressed, more governments realized that masks were in fact important yet cases had already surged dramatically in the US, Europe and even wider Asia.

In addition, other important mistakes in various countries involved allowing large crowds of people coming together for entertainment purposes. According to an article by the Lancet Public Health, 150,000 people attended a horse racing event in the UK, just days before the country announced a full lockdown in March. Also in the US and specifically South Dakota, over 400,000 people attended a motorcycle event during the summer months. These happenings were crucial mistakes that may have boosted the number of new cases by thousands. Even as these countries had taken notice of the virus spread, they seemed naive in their actions and allowed for the absurd to happen.

As a closure, we must note that the Chinese displayed a very different approach to dealing with the virus. In our opinion, the biggest difference had been their attitude towards the matter. First they had shown readiness to deal with such a problem which is rather remarkable. We say remarkable because they had dealt with it somewhat terribly in the past and managed to do a lot better in the present. Most countries around the world had already seen the signs that the virus was spreading but did not prepare for it accordingly. Also, some governments and individuals around the world did not take the virus seriously and falsely believed that this was a conspiracy theory to control humanity. Some important figures around the world have tested positive since then, eventually making a lot of other people believe the situation of the virus is very dangerous and their response is critical. Yet, we would like to stand to two striking characteristics that the Chinese have shown, that in our opinion separate them from many other populations.

First the willingness to stay disciplined to the rules and measures imposed from the government. The action shows a high degree of belief in authorities thus promotes unity and stability. This discipline was not displayed in European countries (Italy and Spain) and they had to feel the negative impact on public health and eventually the economy. Second, was their willingness to suffer for the greater good of the society. People were deprived of their personal freedom, yet followed the orders, and protected one another. They displayed patience and understanding as they saw their freedom but also their jobs being threatened for over two months. As a result, the Chinese have managed to drive the spread at very low levels for months and are currently the only economy to close 2020 in growth. They managed this due to their adaptability to circumstances. Other countries will see their economies stabilizing or even improving as we move into the next year but controlling the virus could remain a challenging task. Can we learn from the Chinese response? Do we need to study there reaction and use their methods to our advantage?

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