COVID in China: Lockdown preparations amid questionable medical treatments | DW News

Beijing has ordered mass coronavirus testing for nearly all of its 21 million residents. Only 70 cases have been found in China's capital since last Friday. Beijing health authorities insist the virus can still be brought under control. But the testing order has sparked panic buying of food and other basics over fears of a Shanghai-style lockdown.

Shanghai authorities have gone out of their way to distribute millions of capsules of a drug, they claim, helps in the treatment of COVID-19. Lianhua Qingwen is a traditional Chinese medicine capsule that has been backed by the government as an important drug in the fight against COVID 19. Scientific evidence is still inconclusive on the effectiveness of such treatments. And now there is outrage over their distribution in a city, where many residents don't have access to food.

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[pilotpeego]

70 cases out of 21 Million? My mom always told me that I was born at night, but not last night.🙄

[sailor]

When all is said and done one thing remains and that is, that China's accurate reporting of casualties is highly questionable. 70 cases in a city of 21 million is surely an exaggerated stretch of an impossibility.

[dynasty]

Who needs dystopian sci-fi books anymore. This is top tier stuff

[SP-uouz]

get whatever you can, just grab it and buy it, do not fool yourself and think it will be fine..
from a shanghai resident

[austinbux]

In whichever country you belong to, resist communism and other forms of authoritarianism at all costs. People who advocate for this system are no friends of humanity.

[asphyxiafeeling]

Psycho, evil government. I’ll take messy freedom over whatever this horror show is

[anotherelvis]

I wish the Chinese all the best, but I don't think that their zero-COVID strategy will work in the long run.

[MrLoobu]

Our leaders never says a bad word about this because they would love to have Chinese style control over us too.

[borneandayak]

When the Chinese said 71 cases, it means 71, 000 cases.

[Wiersq]

Such draconian measures become costly and pointless when all the other countries do not have strictly regulated virus testing in their own countries.

[jimbob-robob]

Seems like the crowds in the shops and testing queues could cause more problems as there's not much social distancing...

[luciusoglesby]

Lolol as people grab fresh unwrapped meat with their hands straight into the shopping cart lolololol

[knight]

And they will say this is America's fault.

[bumblebee]

What has happened with the wonderful vaccine ?

[WhiteSword]

If you want to stock up then stock up on non perishable food like canned food or snacks…. Those veggies and meat will go bad in a matter of days

[nottooherbal]

When will the CCP be fined for having one big party.

[ANTheWhizkid]

I´d panic anyway if I´d need to live in this country. I don´t like the entire system. It´s against my understanding of justice and the honourable values and ideals I live by.

[trightcitizen]

They should work on zero tolerance towards corruption, bad products, bad ethics and bullying of people's, also abroad. For sure the diverse Chinese peoples with such a great cultural and historical heritage can make this effort!

[mikeinjapan]

If they should have just done this from the start of Wuhan virus, the world could have been in a better situation...

[Eric-lxhp]

Why all these half measures CCP? Lock down the entire country!