Commentary: China to defeat Omicron again with dynamic zero-COVID policy

Medical workers from Hainan Province take swab samples from residents for nucleic acid tests at a community in Jiading District of Shanghai, east China, April 6, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Shujuan)

BEIJING, April 8 (Xinhua) -- China will firmly adhere to the dynamic zero-COVID policy as it battles the resurgence of the Omicron variant. The country believes that its efforts will guarantee success.

Conforming to the national conditions, the policy has taken a scientific approach and proven effective in containing clusters of infections within few weeks in cities such as Nanjing, Tianjin and Xi'an over the past two years.

East China's metropolis Shanghai, with a population of 25 million, has now become a major battleground against the virus. The megacity reported over 20,000 new domestic infections on Thursday, and its total infections have surpassed 130,000 since the start of March. It has employed a temporary closed-off management strategy for days with rounds of citywide nucleic acid testing. This ambitious approach has been possible thanks to the aid of more than 38,000 medical workers from across the country. Its neighboring provinces have also provided extra quarantine spaces.

Two major concerns of the Omicron variant are the rate of transmission and the symptoms that are harder to detect. But it cannot be treated as a wide-spread case of the common flu. Its threat to human beings, especially those with underlying health issues, should not be overlooked. This is evident from the increasing death toll worldwide.

China's dynamic zero-COVID approach uses rapid, resolute and strict measures to minimize the impact of the epidemic and the number of infections, severe cases and deaths. Ultimately, it aims to bring the epidemic under control in the shortest possible time.

It is the dynamic zero-COVID policy that is behind the fact that the number of China's COVID-19 infections, patients, serious cases and deaths has remained at low levels. It helped the country safely host the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games early this year. It is also a key reason why China has done better than most countries in both economic development and COVID-19 containment. Effective epidemic control has also enabled the country to help stabilize the global industrial chains and supply chains.

With its unswerving implementation of the dynamic zero-COVID approach, China, as a responsible country, has the resolve, experience, and capacity to soon bring the latest resurgences under control and maintain strong economic growth.

It will not be long before Chinese citizens affected by the virus can enjoy warm sunshine in spring days as things get back to normal.