Dynamic zero COVID-19 policy is best for China, epidemiologist says

The dynamic zero COVID-19 policy suits China and is the best option for the country, Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Tuesday.

The approach does not apply to some foreign countries that have resorted to coexistence with the novel coronavirus because successfully implementing it requires strong coordination between different departments and public support, which cannot be achieved and sustained in those nations.

"In China, we have enforced the strategy successfully so as to safeguard the life and health of the people," he said during a news briefing.

Wu said that the so-called "lying flat" strategy - meaning lifting all anti-virus measures after widespread booster vaccination - is being pursued overseas because some countries had no choice.

"As a result, some nations have to grapple with steep increases in new infections and deaths, and have even had to reimpose some of their previous policies afterwards," he said.

The debate on whether to stick to the dynamic defeat of the virus is largely fueled by the perception that the Omicron variant is more transmissible but less deadly than previous COVID-19 strains.

However, Wang Huaqing, chief immunization planning expert at the China CDC, said Omicron can pose severe risks to the elderly. Based on data from Hong Kong, people age 60 and above are 252 times more likely to die from Omicron than those age 30 and below.