The US, Powerless against the Pandemic, Should Not Judge Others by Itself

Published in Guangming Daily
(China) on 8 January 2023
by (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Jo Sharp. Edited by Patricia Simoni.

 

From Jan. 8 China has downgraded the classification of COVID-19 from “Class B-A” to “Class B-B” and is no longer imposing infectious disease quarantine measures on incoming travelers or goods. Outbound travel for Chinese citizens has also resumed in an orderly manner. Travel data showed that orders for air tickets for inbound and outbound travel on that day were at their highest since March 2020.

China has been preparing for this day for three years. After a hard struggle against the pandemic, China has taken the initiative to adjust its policies according to circumstances. This allows for better coordination of epidemic prevention and control and economic and social development and also facilitates the movement of people between China and other countries. Bloomberg commented that “Easier access will benefit many countries around the world that rely on Chinese tourists.”* Many leading international economic institutions have pointed out that the recovery of China’s economy is expected to accelerate, which is good news for the global economy.

However, something strange has also happened. Some U.S. politicians and media outlets that had previously clamored for China to relax its COVID-19 prevention policies have now shifted to attacking the changes that China has made to its epidemic prevention strategy. They say that the preparations are inadequate and have applied restrictions on Chinese tourists. The hypocritical double standard reveals a dark mindset of envy, jealousy and hatred toward China’s anti-pandemic achievements.

The global fight against the pandemic over the past three years has been a marathon full of hardships. China has proactively responded to this battle with a consistent principle of disease prevention as well as flexible epidemic control measures. Looking back, every prevention and control initiative taken by China in the past three years was a race against the clock and a battle against the virus to gain more time and space to respond. This was to protect people’s lives and health as much as possible and to limit the impact on economic and social development.

During the acute period of the pandemic China adopted strict prevention policies and won defensive battles one after the other in Wuhan, Hubei and Greater Shanghai. It effectively dealt with more than 100 epidemic clusters, withstood five global waves of disease and greatly reduced the mortality rate and the rate of serious disease. We have won three valuable “window periods:” a continued decline in the virulence of coronavirus variants; drug development, especially in traditional Chinese medicine; and widespread vaccination of the whole population. At present the vaccination rate of the Chinese population is over 90% and the cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccinations exceeds 3.48 billion nationwide, building up a strong barrier of immunity.

The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 three years ago put China’s health care and disease prevention systems to the test. But it also prompted China to improve its disease control network and strengthen its critical care resources. At the same time, health awareness and knowledge among the Chinese population has increased significantly and their ability to protect themselves has gradually improved. All of this has created favorable conditions for China to adjust its pandemic prevention policies. According to Mario Cavolo, an American who has lived in China for a long time, China’s choice to optimize its disease prevention policy is based on its experience and its preparation for actively fighting the pandemic for the past three years.

Taking the strategic initiative and creating optimal conditions through its persistence, China has been fighting a well-prepared battle for three years — very different from the U.S. with its approach of “opting out” and passive liberalization.

China is currently shifting gears in its prevention policy and will inevitably encounter issues. But if you look only for faults with a magnifying glass you won’t see the forest for the trees. People can see that China is doing its best to ensure a smooth transition in its pandemic prevention policy. It is expanding outpatient resources, using graded diagnosis and treatment, launching online consultations and increasing drug supply through multiple channels. The Chinese government has mobilized all its resources to protect key populations such as the elderly, pregnant women and children with underlying conditions and is doing everything to reduce serious illness or death. Based on scientific assessment the pandemic situation in China is completely under control.

It is not hard to know what has happened. Three years of effective fighting against the pandemic has led to a new phase in China’s disease prevention and control and is also a powerful boost to the world economy. By contrast, U.S. politicians who are used to finding fault with China have to ask themselves: Did you give any serious thought to pandemic prevention? How big are the loopholes in U.S. disease prevention strategies? How much damage has its passive approach to the pandemic done to the U.S. and the world?

Also, in the past three years, the U.S. government has been passive and lax in the face of the pandemic, repeatedly missing windows of opportunity. Federal and state governments have been fighting with each other, the two parties have blocked each other and politicians have been busy hustling for votes and cash. The U.S. has not been able to form a joint effort to prevent the pandemic and the public is at a loss. In particular, anti-intellectual and anti-scientific sentiments within American society have spread at the instigation of some unscrupulous politicians and have become accomplices enabling the spread of the virus. It can be said that the pandemic disaster encountered by the U.S. is not only a natural disaster, but also a man-made disaster caused by the failure of public health policies and of political institutions.

At present there is an epidemic of many viruses in the United States and the people are suffering. Instead of reflecting on their own dereliction of duty and negligence, U.S. politicians are trying to discredit the effectiveness of China’s fight against the pandemic and continue to politicize the pandemic to deflect this contradiction. This is such a clumsy performance, such a despicable ploy!

No matter how hard some people in the U.S. try, nothing will prevent China from running its own affairs and going its own way. Jan. 8 is a new beginning for China and for the world. Globally, most countries have welcomed China’s move. Those U.S. politicians who have no intention of fighting the pandemic and want to pass the buck will inevitably fail.

*Editor’s note: Although accurately translated, this quoted passage could not be independently verified.


1月8日起,中国将新型冠状病毒感染从“乙类甲管”调整为“乙类乙管”,不再对入境人员和货物等采取检疫传染病管理措施。中国公民出境旅游也有序恢复。某旅游平台的数据显示,当天出行的出入境机票订单量创下2020年3月以来的峰值。
  为了这一天,中国准备了三年。经历艰苦卓绝的抗疫斗争,中国因时因势主动调整防疫政策,有利于更好统筹疫情防控和经济社会发展,也便利了中外人员往来。彭博社评价说,“更便捷地进出中国,会使全球许多依赖中国游客的国家受益。”不少国际知名经济机构指出,中国经济有望加快恢复,这对全球经济来说是个好消息。
  然而,咄咄怪事也出现了——一些之前嚷嚷要“中国放开防疫政策”的美国政客和媒体,转过头来攻击中国防疫政策调整,说什么“准备不足”等等,并针对中国游客采取入境限制措施。这种虚伪的双标做派,暴露了他们对中国抗疫成就“羡慕嫉妒恨”的阴暗心理。
  过去三年,全球抗疫之路充满艰辛,如同一场马拉松。中国始终用防疫原则的不变性、防疫措施的灵活性主动应战。现在回过头来看,这三年中国因时因势采取的每一项防控举措,都在争分夺秒与时间赛跑、与病毒较量,都是为了争取更多主动权和应对空间,都是要最大程度保护人民生命安全和身体健康、最大限度减少疫情对经济社会发展的影响。
  在疫情严峻时期,中国采取严格防疫政策,先后打赢武汉保卫战、湖北保卫战、大上海保卫战,有效处置了百余起聚集性疫情,抵御了全球五波疫情的冲击,极大降低了重症率与死亡率,赢得了新冠变异毒株毒性持续下降、药物研发特别是中成药大量推出、全民广泛接种疫苗三个宝贵“窗口期”。目前,中国全人群新冠病毒疫苗全程接种率超过90%,全国累计报告接种新冠病毒疫苗超34.8亿剂次,筑起了强大的免疫屏障。
  三年前新冠疫情突如其来,给中国医疗卫生和疾控体系带来了考验。但这也促使中国完善疾控体系,加强重症救治资源储备。与此同时,中国民众的健康意识和素养明显提升,个人防护能力逐渐提高。这些都为中国调整防疫政策积累了有利条件。长期在华生活的美国作家马意骏说,中国现在选择优化调整防疫政策,是基于过去三年积极抗疫的经验和准备。
  在坚持中赢得战略主动,在坚持中创造优化条件——中国三年来打的是有准备之仗,这与美方的“躺平”与被动放开截然不同。
  目前,中国正在经历防疫政策换挡期,难免会遇到问题。但拿着放大镜找毛病,就会只见树木不见森林。人们看到,为了保障防疫政策平稳转段,中国同样全力以赴。扩容发热门诊资源、推行分级诊疗、开展互联网问诊、多渠道增加药品供给……中国政府调集一切资源保护患有基础病的老年人、孕产妇和儿童等重点人群,千方百计降低重症、减少病亡。基于科学评估,中国疫情形势总体可控。
  事非经过不知难。三年抗疫卓有成效,使得中国疫情防控进入新阶段,对世界经济也是个有力提振。相比之下,那些习惯对中国“鸡蛋里面挑骨头”的美国政客需要扪心自问:有认真想过防疫吗?美国的防疫漏洞究竟有多大?躺平式防疫给美国和世界带来了多大伤害?
  同样是在过去三年,美国政府面对疫情消极懈怠,一再错过窗口期。联邦与各州明争暗斗,两党相互掣肘,政客们忙着拉选票、捞钞票,美国没有形成防疫合力,民众无所适从。特别是在一些无良政客煽动下,美国社会反智反科学情绪蔓延,成为病毒传播的帮凶。可以说,美国遭遇的疫情灾难不仅是天灾,更是公共卫生政策失效、政治体制失灵导致的人祸。
  当前,美国国内流行多种病毒,民众饱受折磨。那些美国政客不反思自身的失职渎职,倒来抹黑中国抗疫成效,继续搞疫情政治化来转嫁矛盾。这样的表演太拙劣,这样的企图太卑劣!
  无论美方一些人如何挖空心思,都无碍中国办好自己的事、走好自己的路。1月8日,对中国、对世界都是个新的开始,全球大多数国家都对中方的举措表示欢迎。那些无心抗疫、有心“甩锅”的美国政客逆流而动,难逃失败的下场。
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