Unprecedented 'anti-Xi' protests in China; sale of ventilators and oxygen machines surges amid Covid spike
In an unprecedented show of opposition against the leadership in recent decades, agitations spread across major cities in the country with the protestors chanting 'Step down Xi Jinping' and 'We want democracy' slogans.
FollowProtests against Chinese President Xi Jinping have flared up in China as the Communist Party pursues a zero-COVID policy for more its 1.4 billion citizens with strict lockdowns. In an unprecedented show of opposition against the leadership in recent decades, agitations spread across major cities in the country with the protestors chanting 'Step down Xi Jinping' and 'We want democracy' slogans.
The protests have spread across major cities, including the capital Beijing, Chengdu, Lanzhou, and Wuhan, in the most widespread show of opposition against the ruling party in decades.
Even though a national lockdown is no longer in effect, local authorities have been closing down specific areas when an outbreak is reported. While the rest of the world has come to co-exist with the new normal, China is still following a strict zero-Covid policy as the most effective life-saving mechanism.
The latest trigger for the public protest was the fire in Urumqi that killed ten persons. It was alleged that Covid lockdowns slowed down rescue operations here, leading to the tragedy.
Meanwhile, the demand for ventilators and oxygen machines has skyrocketed in the country. Chinese media report that the sales of devices and equipment used to detect symptoms of COVID-19 had shot up since November 11, when the Cabinet issued new guidelines, cutting short quarantine requirements for close contacts and international travellers.
The country witnessed a record number of coronavirus cases for the third consecutive day on Saturday, with the number of cases going well above 35,000 despite large-scale lockdowns under the stringent Zero-Covid policy,
In addition to shorter quarantines, the Cabinet ended the tracing of second-degree close contacts of confirmed positive cases. Among the public, there is a widespread belief that the cases would multiply once Beijing gives up its zero-Covid policy. This has made people take all measures to prepare for any critical situation that may arise.
A report in the Financial Review quotes analysts saying that 'private demand for COVID-related medical equipment revealed a lack of confidence in China's state-backed health system in dealing with a nationwide coronavirus outbreak.'
That is why, as per the data from WeChat, China’s biggest social media platform, there is a 90-fold spike in searches for ventilators and oxygen machines and oximeters compared to what it was before the Cabinet announcement.
On November 10, when Beijing relaxed COVID-19 restrictions, searches for ventilators hit a number that was 80 times higher than normal. Within the next ten days, oxygen machines and oximeters were searched 24 times and 12 times more than what is usually done on an ordinary day.
A report by financial company Southwest Securities says that when the policy is removed, around 12 million Chinese households might need ventilators and oxygen machines to keep living.
Financial Review quotes Michael Huang, who spent 4000 yuan ($833) on a ventilator and 1000 yuan on an oxygen machine for his 74-year-old father a few hours after Beijing announced the new rules. He believes that hospitals will inevitably face a shortage of beds to accommodate the influx of patients and that he wants to make sure his father receives treatment at home.
And this opinion is shared by Yanzhong Huang, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, “There is a widespread belief that Chinese hospitals will be overwhelmed with virus carriers, and the public wants to get prepared for the worst-case scenario.”
Though the omicron variant is less severe, China has reasons to worry about the threat to the elderly population because a third of its 60+ citizens have not completed a three-dose vaccination course.
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