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 | | Daily reported coronavirus cases in the United States, seven-day average.The New York Times |
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A successful pandemic Olympics? |
 | | Disinfecting … the ice?Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times |
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When the Winter Olympics in Beijing began earlier this month, the stakes were high: Tens of thousands of people were entering China as the more contagious Omicron variant was spreading rapidly worldwide. |
But as the Games wrapped, there was far less drama and concern. The authorities reported yesterday that out of the 66,937 virus tests administered within the bubble on Saturday, the penultimate day of the Games, just one came back positive. |
For a look at how the Olympics went this year, I spoke to my colleague Amy Qin, who covers China. |
How did the zero-Covid approach go? |
It worked. China was catching cases — a few hundred each day in the beginning — mostly at the airport as people came in. As the days wore on there might have been some local transmission in the bubble, but it was pretty limited. By the end it was almost gone. At least two days in a row, they recorded zero cases within the bubble. |
But it required a massive effort. Everyone in the bubble had to take Covid tests every day. We got to know the nurses who were doing our throat swabs pretty well, and they were really sweet. At one point, on Valentine's Day, they even used our unused test tubes to spell out "Happy Valentine's Day" in Chinese. It was cute, but also such a strange sign of our times. |
How did it feel in the bubble? |
One cost of this approach was that everything was just a little stressful. We were all nervous about testing positive and being taken to an isolation facility in Beijing where we would have to stay indefinitely. In our work WhatsApp group people would send these really ominous photos of an ambulance sitting in the driveway in the hotel waiting to take someone away. Especially in the beginning, when they were catching a lot of cases, there was a "Hunger Games" vibe, like you don't want to get caught and exiled. |
It was your first time back in almost two years. How does zero Covid feel now? |
I saw China at the beginning of its zero-Covid policy, and in some ways it didn't feel that different. But I was still pretty shocked by how they were so paranoid at a time when the rest of the world seems to be resigning itself to living with the virus. It was the most evident to me at the airport. I saw that they even taped the sleeves of their hazmat suits so that nothing would get in — they were so clearly worried about getting infected. I think you could have brought in contraband in your suitcase because they really didn't want to touch any of the luggage. |
But to the extent that I was able to see the city, through car and bus windows, it was great to see that it was the same as what I remember. At the same time, I had this weird feeling of going into the heart of this country that has really used Covid — either as an excuse or maybe as a legitimate reason — to cut itself off from the world, at least physically speaking. And it felt bittersweet to be driving around in the city and to know that would be continuing indefinitely. |
Were the Olympics a success? |
It depends on who you're asking. I think to China, and to the Chinese leadership, it was definitely a success. They managed to pull off another Olympics without having any major political scandals and also without any virus spilling over to the general population. Obviously, we still have a few weeks to go with the Paralympics, so it's too soon to say for sure, but it looks that way now. |
But if you're an athlete, or a fan who likes to go to the Olympics, maybe you feel a little bit differently. I think some people have come away feeling like it was just not very fun. It was kind of joyless and sort of sapped the life out of everything. Everyone was just so stressed all the time. |
China has really staked its legitimacy on this zero-Covid policy, and this was a prominent display of this approach, in that a lot of people from around the world very intimately came to understand how it worked by experiencing it firsthand. So from that standpoint, I think that it's a validation. |
China will definitely use this to bolster its argument that it has the superior governance system to the West because it was able to keep Covid completely under control in a way that few other countries could have done. And it's possible that they might take this whole experience as a lesson in how to open up a little bit, in a very measured and controlled way, in the future. |
How long Covid exhausts the body |
 | | Illustration by Violet Frances for Bryan Christie Design |
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Damage to the body from severe Covid — in the form of pneumonia, low oxygen and inflammation — typically shows up on traditional diagnostic tests. But long Covid is different. It's a chronic illness with a variety of symptoms, many of which are not explainable using conventional lab tests. |
Some doctors have dismissed patients or misdiagnosed their symptoms as psychosomatic. But researchers looking more deeply have found visible dysfunction. |
Josh zeroed in on the immune system, the circulatory system, the brain and the lungs. Using images at high magnifications, he shows how viral genetic material can remain embedded in the tissue months after an infection. |
 | | A. Fernández-Castañeda, M.H. Lee et al., bioRxiv; C. Gaebler et al., Nature |
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Above on the left, in dark brown, microglia are activated in the brain of a Covid patient, contributing to brain inflammation. On the right, in green, are coronavirus components in one patient's small intestine, 92 days after the start of their Covid symptoms. |
Many hospitals now offer post-Covid clinics or recovery programs. Given the number of patients, some doctors and programs have long waits for appointments. Josh's piece includes resources for long Covid sufferers, including post-Covid clinics, online support groups, and guides for managing symptoms and disability benefits. |
Planning a pandemic wedding |
As we look toward a future of living with the virus, some of us are thinking about planning larger events that we've postponed for two years, like weddings, family reunions or conventions. |
But how do you do it during the pandemic? |
If you're planning a wedding or other big event, or have held one during the pandemic, we'd love to hear from you. We're looking for your best advice on hosting it safely, and the pitfalls that may await others who are trying to make one happen. |
What else we're following |
I planned a vacation to Hawaii. I'm so sick and tired of worrying, waiting and holding my breath. I'm tired of people who only think of themselves and don't consider how their actions affect the rest of us. I'm just so tired all together. So, I'm going to Hawaii and I'll wear my mask. Aloha! — Linda J. Larkin, Fort Madison, Iowa |
Let us know how you're dealing with the pandemic. Send us a response here, and we may feature it in an upcoming newsletter. |
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