WEBVTT - John Liu on China's Covid Situation (Audio)

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<v Speaker 1>As genetic sequencing and China dwindles testing, tsunami of COVID

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen cases spurring some very deep concern. Let us go deeper.

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<v Speaker 1>Joining us live now is bloom Brigs. John Lu, Beijing

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<v Speaker 1>executive editor, Thank you so much, as always, John, Let's

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<v Speaker 1>start in Shanghai. We remember the city and dirt, a

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<v Speaker 1>brutal lockdown, other reports that things have gotten very bad

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<v Speaker 1>there again. Now we're hearing intensive care units are using

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<v Speaker 1>hallways and the like. How rampant is this? Well, what

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<v Speaker 1>we have is a sudden surgeon infections in Shanghai in

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<v Speaker 1>other parts of China, and a medical system that wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't given very much time to prepare. And so what

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<v Speaker 1>we've seen is at hospitals emergency rooms, I see you

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<v Speaker 1>beds being filled and the doctors they're having no choice

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<v Speaker 1>but to put some patients into the hallway, for example,

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<v Speaker 1>Others who are in less serious condition being asked to wait,

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<v Speaker 1>sometimes outside lots of ambulances. And so the situation at

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<v Speaker 1>the moment is rather a strained so in generally in

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<v Speaker 1>fiction infections in Shanghai and now we're looking like what

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<v Speaker 1>we've seen in Beijing for the past week or two. Correct, Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>that's right. Uh. Obviously, anecdotally we've seen a big uptick

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<v Speaker 1>in the number of people who are sick, big drop

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<v Speaker 1>off in things such as ridership of the local subway system.

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<v Speaker 1>It's down about half of what it was in twenty nineteen,

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<v Speaker 1>so the year before the pandemic. Uh, we don't have

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<v Speaker 1>the testing data anymore because there is no more testing

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<v Speaker 1>being required of citizens, and so there is no real,

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<v Speaker 1>uh good clear way to see what the trend is

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<v Speaker 1>in terms of overall overall infections. Okay, so more and

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<v Speaker 1>more and you tell me if this is fair. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>it looks as if COVID COVID zero over the short

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<v Speaker 1>term was very effective, but now the price is really

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<v Speaker 1>being paid, and we don't know how big good price

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<v Speaker 1>is going to be. Well. China is obviously making an

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<v Speaker 1>exit from of it zero and so reopening, reopening the economy,

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<v Speaker 1>and I think, as we've seen in other countries around

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<v Speaker 1>the world, when that happens, when the lockdowns lift there

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<v Speaker 1>there is an uptick in infections, and that is what

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<v Speaker 1>is happening in China at the moment. I think the

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<v Speaker 1>real question is, uh, how will the high risk population

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<v Speaker 1>be affected? So people who are are over the age

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<v Speaker 1>of eighty, for example, who have not had a vaccine. Uh,

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<v Speaker 1>there is a real concern that there will be widespread death,

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<v Speaker 1>and so there is a real we're keeping a very

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<v Speaker 1>close eye on that situation. Obviously, we've talked about the hospitals. Uh,

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<v Speaker 1>there's also been a lack of medicines for things like fever,

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<v Speaker 1>and just because that exit happened so quickly, Uh, the

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<v Speaker 1>supplies for that weren't prepared, the pharmacies weren't prepared, and

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<v Speaker 1>so people are having a hard time getting their hands

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<v Speaker 1>on those drugs. Now, John, we're we're also running a

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<v Speaker 1>story here and Bloomberg with the short of the anti

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<v Speaker 1>virals like pact a lit bit that people are turning

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<v Speaker 1>to the black market. Um, how is that working? What?

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<v Speaker 1>What kind of black market? Well, the thing that we've

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<v Speaker 1>observed most frequently is, uh, the purchase of generics from

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<v Speaker 1>producers in South South Asian, so places like Bangladesh, like India,

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<v Speaker 1>orders placed online, paid for and then shipped from those

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<v Speaker 1>places into China. Obviously, China has approved paxlovid as a

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<v Speaker 1>treatment domestically, but as we were talking about earlier, because

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<v Speaker 1>there's the exit happened so quickly, those supplies were not

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<v Speaker 1>in place for people to get to and there's been

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<v Speaker 1>a sudden rush to get to get the medicines by

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<v Speaker 1>people who are either just getting infected or worried that

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<v Speaker 1>they will be effected soon. So there's been a real

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<v Speaker 1>straight on supplies, all right, John, Hey, thank you again.

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<v Speaker 1>Really appreciate your help on the perspective how that is that?

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<v Speaker 1>John Lu, Beijing Executive Editor,