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Tag: zero COVID

Study: China saw almost 2 million excess deaths just after zero-COVID policy ended

In JAMA Network Open, authors describe how the all-cause mortality rate in China increased after the nation lifted its “zero COVID” policy, resulting in an estimated 1.87 million excess deaths during the first 2 months following the end of the policy.

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What can the world learn from China’s “zero-Covid” lockdown?

For the first time in three years, millions traveled within China earlier this month to reunite with loved ones for the country’s most important holiday, the Lunar New Year. Unfortunately, these celebrations coincided with — and are sure to exacerbate — a Covid-19 outbreak currently spreading throughout the country.

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Why China’s ‘zero COVID’ policy is finally faltering

For nearly three years now, China has had incredible success at keeping its number of COVID deaths relatively low. So far, the country has recorded only about 6,000 deaths among 1.4 billion people. By comparison, the U.S. has recorded more than a million deaths in a population of only 330 million.

China has accomplished this feat with what’s known as a “zero COVID” policy – using strict lockdowns and community-wide testing and other measures to keep case counts close to nil.

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New Zealand’s Covid strategy was one of the world’s most successful – what can we learn from it?

Two weeks ago marked the two-year anniversary of New Zealand’s adoption of the elimination strategy and a lockdown that successfully stamped out the first wave of Covid-19. By chance, it was also the week that the government announced a major relaxation of Covid-19 control measures in response to the Omicron variant wave sweeping the country.

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The ‘zero-Covid’ approach got bad press, but it worked – and it could work again

The places that chose to pursue elimination suffered less overall. Unfortunately, few had the determination to do so.

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Ardern reveals the moment she chose Covid elimination strategy

New Zealand’s decision to eliminate coronavirus stemmed as much from fear as ambition, the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has revealed, saying there was a point at which she realised the health system simply couldn’t cope with a big outbreak.

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New Zealand suspects ‘some failure at the border’ after COVID-19 returns

New Zealand officials and scientists are eying a breach in isolation security as the possible cause of the first cases of community transmission in the country in 102 days. Investigators are exploring several possibilities, but experts believe the alternatives—that the virus was circulating undetected or that it entered the country on a freight shipment—are unlikely.

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