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China rushed to test an entire city of nine million on Tuesday just days after a minor coronavirus outbreak, as the WHO warned that letting the pathogen run free to achieve herd immunity was “scientifically and ethically problematic.”
The virus is still spreading rapidly around the world, with more than 37 million infections, and nations that had suppressed its first outbreaks are now struggling with new surges, especially in some parts of Europe.
In the absence of a vaccine, governments are wary of allowing the virus to spread uncontrollably, and China launched a radical campaign to test all Qingdao residents after a handful of cases were detected on Sunday.
“At 8 am … our city has taken 3.08 million samples for nucleic tests,” the city’s health commission said Tuesday, adding that no new positive samples were found.
Chinese officials intend to test the entire city, about 9.4 million people, by Thursday.
In scenes that contrast with clumsy testing efforts by other nations, health workers in protective clothing quickly set up tents and residents queued until Monday night to provide samples.
In opposition to financially painful lockdowns and social distancing, there have been proposals in some countries to allow the coronavirus to circulate in the population to develop “herd immunity” – where much of the population has been infected there are not enough new victims to the virus to jump to.
But the World Health Organization said such plans were unfeasible and required mass vaccinations to work.
“Herd immunity is achieved by protecting people from a virus, not exposing them to it,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday, describing the idea as “scientifically and ethically problematic.”
“Allowing a dangerous virus that we do not fully understand to run for free is simply unethical. It is not an option.”
To further illustrate the challenge, a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases indicated that exposure to the virus may not guarantee future immunity, and the second infection could present with even more severe symptoms.
The pandemic has claimed more than a million lives worldwide and has fueled dizzying efforts to develop effective vaccines and treatments.
Some have reached late-stage clinical trials, but optimism waned on Monday when Johnson & Johnson announced that it had temporarily halted its trial of 60,000 patients due to unexplained illness in one participant.
There are ten companies conducting Phase 3 trials of their candidates around the world, including Johnson & Johnson.
The pharmaceutical giant received about $ 1.45 billion in US funding under Operation Warp Speed, championed by President Donald Trump, who is eager for political momentum ahead of the November election with a coronavirus breakthrough.
Critics have criticized Trump for his handling of the crisis, with more known infections and deaths in the United States than anywhere else in the world.
Trump was on the sidelines of the election campaign for 10 days after receiving Covid-19, but returned to the stage on Monday.
“I went through it and now they say I’m immune … I feel so powerful,” Trump told a crowd in Florida, few of whom were wearing masks.
His claim of immunity is unproven.
European nations are trying to contain new waves of infections and governments are implementing tighter restrictions to avoid the devastation of previous outbreaks.
Cases have skyrocketed in France, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic in recent days.
And there has also been a rebound in Britain, which has the highest death toll in Europe.
He said businesses forced to close would receive support from the government, but his focus on closing hospitality venues sparked anger.
“Catastrophic, catastrophic,” said Simon Ashdown, owner of the Chepstow Castle pub in Liverpool.
“I don’t think there will be many deals after this closing.”
bur-qan / hg
