Asia Pacific shift strategy to “coexist with COVID”

News analysis

Last month, countries in the Asia-Pacific region changed their strategies to coexist rather than eliminate the CCP virus.

Governments around the world are generally Two strategies “Zero COVID” or “coexist with COVID” for a pandemic.

However, the Delta variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus is faster and more potent than the original strain, which significantly increases the cost of removing the virus in each country. Under difficult trade-offs to deal with economic pressure and pandemics, many governments have gradually opted for “mitigation (coexistence with COVID)” over “exclusion (zero COVID)”.

New Zealand: Zero COVID is no longer a goal

On October 4, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at a press conference in Wellington that New Zealand would gradually cancel its previously adhered to zero COVID strategy. Instead, increase the vaccination rate and try to coexist with COVID.

The outbreak in New Zealand began in mid-August and the level 4 blockade began on August 18. The pandemic has been eased and the blockade level has been downgraded, but there are new cases every day.About 20 people It has been infected every day for the past few weeks and it seems difficult to get rid of the virus completely.

At the same time, the New Zealand economy under the blockage has shrunk significantly.Auckland Council Chief Economist Shane Martin was once the largest city in New Zealand in Auckland lost $ 68.97 million a day under a level 4 blockade.

New Zealand’s policy changes are very dramatic. In an interview with local media on September 30, COVID response minister Chris Hipkins insisted that the government would not abandon its virus removal policy. But he didn’t expect this policy to make a sudden U-turn after just four days.

Australia: The goal is to coexist with the CCP virus

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on October 1st Presentation The 18-month ban on Australian travel abroad will be lifted next month, relaxing one of the strictest COVID-19 restrictions imposed worldwide.

Australian Government Presentation We plan to end the blockade when the vaccination rate reaches 70% and reopen the border for international travelers when it reaches 80%.

“”[Our goal is] Living with this virus is not afraid to live, “Morrison said. Said August 23rd.

Australia passed city blockades, border closures, and strict hygiene measures last year. At that time, the pandemic seems to have eased. However, in recent months, the governors of two major states, Victoria and New South Wales, have admitted that delta variants of the CCP virus cannot be eradicated and instead focused on mass vaccination. rice field.

As of October 7, Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, has been closed for 248 days, making it the longest closed city in the world.

South Korea: Relaxation of pandemic measures at the stage of “living with COVID”

On October 1, the Korean government gradually implemented a protocol to gradually relax regulations, converting the current pandemic prevention model to a “life with COVID” model from November, and people will be able to live and order in their daily lives. Announced to be able to recover. The South Korean government has extended its current social distance measures for two weeks in preparation for change.

Of South Korea’s 52 million population, about 77% have been vaccinated once with the COVID-19 vaccine and about 50% have been vaccinated twice. Since July, more than 1,000 pandemics have been confirmed daily in South Korea, and since the Mid-Autumn Festival on September 21, a new wave of more than 3,000 pandemics per day has arrived.

Prime Minister Kim Bu-gyeom said the government will formally prepare to restore people’s daily lives after the vaccination rate exceeds 70% this month.

Thailand: Residents must restart the virus and prepare to live with

On September 27, the Thai government announced plans to open most of the country within the next three months, prioritizing the opening of popular tourist destinations, including Bangkok, and approving a four-step opening schedule. bottom.

Thai government I agreed The compulsory quarantine period for fully vaccinated tourists will be halved from October to 7 days. Beginning in November, Bangkok and nine other districts will be exempt from mandatory quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated tourists. Thailand is trying to boost immunity and revitalize the devastated tourism industry.

Thailand also approved the reopening of various businesses and services such as theaters, stadiums and nail salons from October 1st.

On August 23, Dr. Opas Karnkawinpong, director of the Thai Disease Control Bureau, said that the Thai National Infectious Diseases Commission approved “National strategy to learn to live together [the CCP virus].. The future focus is to control the number of infections to a level that does not exceed the capacity of the Thai public health system.

Malaysia: Coexistence with CCP virus with herd immunity

As of September 21, 80% of Malaysian adults have been fully vaccinated. Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that Malaysia has reached the level of “herd immunity”. He declared in early September that Malaysia should be prepared to coexist with the CCP virus.

The Malaysian government has emphasized that if the Chinese Communist Party’s outbreak of the virus is downgraded from “pandemic” to “endemic,” all Malaysians must “coexist with the virus.” However, this does not mean that Malaysians can relax with CCP virus prevention. Still, you need to comply with the relevant precautionary requirements.

Indonesia: Treat CCP virus as “endemic”

On September 10, Indonesian President Joko Widodo suggested that the pandemic would not disappear in the near future and that Indonesians should be prepared to coexist with the CCP virus.

“We need to prepare for the transition [the CCP virus] From pandemic to endemic, “the Indonesian presidential website quoted Joko.

Indonesia is about accumulating 4.22 million So far, cases of CCP virus have been confirmed and 142,000 people have died.More than ever 53.7 million Indonesian people are fully vaccinated and make up less than 20 percent of the country’s population.

Vietnam: Prepare to adapt carefully to the CCP virus

On September 5, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Hwang Myung-Zen said, “When Vietnam achieves its vaccination goals, [the CCP virus].. “

After the blockade for almost 3 months Ho Chi Minh CityVietnam’s largest city with a population of 8.4 million, lifted the blockade on the night of September 30, enabling more commercial and social activity.

During the blockage, many local factories were closed and some foreign corporate groups were closed. issued Warning that a long-term blockade could move the business to another country.

According to the Ministry of Health of Vietnam, the delta variant of the CCP virus has infected 770,000 people in the country in the past three months, killing 19,000 people, most of whom occurred in Ho Chi Minh City.

Currently, the generally accepted vaccination rates that form herd immunity are 70 percentIt is also the standard for governments around the world to formulate policies.

Mainly the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union countries Recruitment The strategy of “coexisting with COVID”. However, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China Still adhering to the “Zero COVID” strategy, Taiwan has been the most successful everywhere.

Taiwan: Global success story of “Zero COVID”

Taiwan is consistently widely regarded as a global success story Achievement Throughout most of the rare pandemics, there are no domestic COVID cases. With a population of 23.57 million, the densely populated Taiwanese lived almost normally from 2020 to early 2021 without blockades, despite the closed borders. ..

In late August, Taiwan reported zero domestic cases of COVID for the first time since the rare outbreak in May. And that was hardly the case in Japan to this day.

Taiwan It also has one of the lowest COVID vaccination rates in the world, with only 15.3% of fully vaccinated residents as of October 6th, having been fully vaccinated by July of this year. Is almost 0% of the population.