Medicine

Demonstrators gather outside Zhongshan park to protest changes to medical benefits in Wuhan, China, 15 February 2023 in this still image from social media video obtained by Reuters. (Social media/Reuters)

China’s silent healthcare insurance reform triggers protests among elderly

Recent changes to China’s medical insurance system have received backlash from its elderly population, who fear that their reduced incomes and increased medical expenses will make healthcare unaffordable for them. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Chen Jing looks at how the reforms will be implemented and their impact on the people.
A yellow Wedelia prostrata flower. (Photo: Alpsdake/Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0)

Every plant a medicine: Hiking in Hong Kong [Part 5]

In the fifth of a six-part series on hiking in Hong Kong, cultural historian Cheng Pei-kai shares the wonders of Hong Kong’s hiking trails. With the nagging feeling that the city’s development is slowly encroaching on nature’s bounty, Cheng traces the sights and sounds on a stroll on the beach in Wu Kai Sha, discovering plants of beauty with medicinal properties too.
Commuters ride an escalator in Shanghai, China, on 20 December 2022. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg)

How China bolted from zero Covid towards herd immunity

China has announced the long-awaited transition from zero Covid to opening up, as inbound travel measures ease and mandatory quarantines are removed. However, the process will not be easy as medical resources are short and vaccination rates among the elderly are still low. Will China be able to handle the internal and external pressures of what is to follow after opening up? Zaobao correspondent Yang Danxu tells us more.
People line up to buy antigen test kits for Covid-19, at a pharmacy in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, 19 December 2022. (China Daily via Reuters)

China prepares for Covid peaks in January

With the easing of Covid controls in China, many cities and provinces are seeing a sharp spike in cases. This wave is generally expected to peak in January next year, especially with the Chinese New Year travel wave. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Liu Liu takes a look at the possible direction and responses.
People line up at a fever clinic of a hospital, after the government gradually loosened the restrictions on Covid-19 control, in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, 10 December 2022. (Martin Pollard/Reuters)

Will mainland China see a 'tsunami' of Covid cases?

Following the protests against China’s strict Covid controls, the authorities have released ten new measures to ease or lift many Covid rules and restrictions. But while many people have been looking forward to this day, there is also anxiety as to what to expect with the sudden overnight changes.
People wearing face masks amid the Covid-19 pandemic walk along a street in Beijing, China, on 11 December 2022. (Noel Celis/AFP)

Is China ill-prepared for a surge in Covid cases?

With the sudden easing of anti-epidemic rules and Beijing’s latest surge in Covid-19 cases, people have been caught out by insufficient medication and are swarming to pharmacies and hospitals. Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan gives a peek into the situation on the ground.
A resident looks on behind barriers at a fruit shop, during lockdown, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, in Shanghai, China, 16 May 2022. (Aly Song/Reuters)

Covid-stricken Shanghai is down, but is it out?

The seemingly unending lockdown in Shanghai has taken a toll on investor confidence, leading to some entrepreneurs and companies talking about leaving the city. Zaobao’s Shanghai correspondent Chen Jing surveys the short-term reactions and long-term outlook of China's top financial city.
A woman receives the Sinovac Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine in Denpasar, Indonesia's Bali island on 2 September 2021. (Sonny Tumbelaka/AFP)

Has China done well in its vaccine diplomacy in Southeast Asia?

China has supplied 190 million doses of its homegrown vaccines to Southeast Asia. However, although there has been sporadic support, perceptions of Chinese vaccines among the public in the region largely trend negatively, suggesting a non-linear relationship between China’s vaccine diplomacy and its soft power in the region. ISEAS researchers Khairulanwar Zaini and Hoang Thi Ha discuss the complex factors affecting vaccine hesitancy in six Southeast Asian countries — Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Staff members spray disinfectant at a school ahead of the new semester in Bozhou in China's eastern Anhui province on 23 August 2021. (STR/AFP)

Is China taking policies to the extreme to achieve zero-Covid?

After a month of tough restrictions following a Delta variant outbreak, China reported this week zero new locally transmitted Covid-19 cases. Since the pandemic started, it has stuck with a zero-Covid strategy. In fact, even contemplating living with the virus is often seen as submitting to the ways of the West. LKYSPP academic Lu Xi asks: as some local officials take zero-Covid policies to extremes to submit good report cards, will ordinary folk suffer the most?