China masses take Covid fight into own hands as Xi sits back | Bloomberg News

LEFT to fend for herself after China abruptly ended the world’s strictest Covid restrictions, 31-year-old Share Xue and her daughter found themselves with 40°C fevers and an expired bottle of Motrin.

“This is the first time I really felt the warmth of people helping one another,” Xue said. “I will teach my child to do the same.” But for many on the ground who suffered through Covid with no help, those calls ring hollow. The traumatic experiences risk upending the social contract that underpins the Communist Party’s legitimacy: An acceptance of one-party rule in return for competent governance that keeps people safe and improves their lives.

The WeChat app for medicine donation had several million visits and more than 800,000 posts immediately after its launch on December 19. The Campaign to Bring Down Fever in Villages, an online initiative to collect donated ibuprofen, said it mailed drugs to about 13,000 elderly residents in 110 villages as of December 29 after family members signed them up via a Weibo post.

The flurry of grassroots action is reminiscent of the initial Covid outbreak in Wuhan, when the state roped in the public to supply medical resources and funds. This time around, however, local bodies are leading the way as the government has taken a step back, according to Bertram Lang, a research associate in political science at Goethe University Frankfurt.

It has also prominently featured stories of acts of kindness among ordinary people, such as a Weibo post about a man in eastern Shandong province delivering medicines to more than 1,000 people.

Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Xi 'concerned' over Covid cases in China's countrysideXi Jinping has said he is 'concerned' about the virus situation in the Chinese countryside, state media reported, as millions of people head to rural hometowns ahead of upcoming Lunar New Year celebrations. Read more:
Source: TheManilaTimes - 🏆 2. / 92 Read more »

In China, doctors say they are discouraged from citing COVID on death certificatesDuring a busy shift at the height of Beijing’s COVID wave, a physician at a private hospital saw a printed notice in the emergency department: doctors should “try not to” write COVID-induced respiratory failure on death certificates.
Source: interaksyon - 🏆 24. / 51 Read more »

China races to make COVID-19 drugs as Xi fears rural outbreaksChinese drugmakers rushed to make anti-fever medicines and other treatments for COVID-19, after President Xi Jinping said he was worried about an influx of holiday travelers to rural areas ill-equipped to deal with sudden outbreaks. | Reuters
Source: inquirerdotnet - 🏆 3. / 86 Read more »

China’s fondness for pork wavers as Covid surge crushes demand | Hallie Gu | Bloomberg Opinion'Tis the season in China when whole hams and cured sausages should be flying off the shelves as households prepare for the Lunar New Year, the biggest festival in the nation’s calendar. But as hundreds of millions grapple with an unprecedented Covid outbreak, the country’s fondness for the celebratory dishes…
Source: BusinessMirror - 🏆 19. / 59 Read more »

Davos 2023: Moderna CEO in talks with China to supply COVID-19 vaccinesBeijing has so far insisted on using only Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines for its own population.
Source: rapplerdotcom - 🏆 4. / 86 Read more »

China’s pessimistic Gen Z poses challenge for Xi post-COVID - BusinessWorld OnlineSHANGHAI — The first weekend after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) restrictions ended last month, dozens of young Chinese jostled in the dark at a heavy-metal concert in a tiny Shanghai music venue that reeked of sweat and hard liquor. It was the kind of freedom young Chinese had demanded in late November in protests against […]
Source: bworldph - 🏆 9. / 68 Read more »