Virus Briefing: China’s Covid protests

Plus, Omicron turns one.

View in browser|nytimes.com November 28, 2022 Here's your update on the coronavirus pandemic and other virus news. TOP NEWS Ng Han Guan/Associated Press China Protests Break Out as Covid Cases Surge and Lockdowns Persist After a weekend of confrontations between officials and demonstrators, video from two sites in Shanghai and Beijing showed a heavy security presence. Here's the latest on the situation. By Vivek Shankar Thomas Peter/Reuters A Protest? A Vigil? In Beijing, Anxious Crowds Are Unsure How Far to Go. In a country where protests are swiftly quashed, many who gathered to voice their discontent — under the watchful eye of the police — were uncertain about how far to go. By Vivian Wang Hector Retamal/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Memes, Puns and Blank Sheets of Paper: China's Creative Acts of Protest In a country where the authorities have little tolerance for open dissent, demonstrators against Covid restrictions have turned to more subtle methods. By Chang Che and Amy Chang Chien via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Protests Erupt in Shanghai and Other Chinese Cities Over Covid Controls A chanting crowd called for China's leader, Xi Jinping, to step down, a rare act of defiance reflecting growing anger after nearly three years of lockdowns. By Chris Buckley and Muyi Xiao UGC, via Associated Press Protest in Xinjiang Against Lockdown After Fire Kills 10 A fire in a residential high-rise in Urumqi, where many residents have been under lockdown, set off public anger and questions about China's zero-Covid policy. By Chang Che and Amy Chang Chien Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group, via Getty Images Flu and R.S.V. Hit the Holidays, Heightening Demand for Antibiotics and Antivirals An intense early flu season, coupled with a pediatric rise in respiratory illnesses, has left families frantically searching for medicines that are in short supply. By Andrew Jacobs and Roni Caryn Rabin Steve Gschmeissner/Science Source MATTER Happy Birthday, Omicron One year after the variant's discovery, virologists are still scrambling to keep up with Omicron's rapid evolution. By Carl Zimmer Tom Jamieson for The New York Times UPSTART Can Sensor Technology Help Keep Office Workers Healthy? The company OpenSensors uses small, inexpensive sensors to monitor air quality and other conditions in offices. The timing couldn't be better. By Craig S. Smith Andrey Kasay GUEST ESSAY Why Are Lots of Kids Likely to Be Sick This Holiday Season? We can lower the toll of respiratory viruses for good. By Florian Krammer and Aubree Gordon What else we're following Coronavirus Nearly 9 out of 10 deaths are now in people 65 or older, The Washington Post reports. The BBC explored vaccine hesitancy in Western Sahara, a Covid "black hole" where no information exists on cases or vaccination rates. A man returned home for the holidays after being hospitalized with Covid for 453 days, The Washington Post reports. Research shows that Apixaban, a blood thinning drug given to some patients in the U.K. with severe Covid, does not work and may cause major bleeding, The Guardian reports. A new study found mysterious Covid variants in New York City's rat population, The New York Post reports. R.S.V. Dr. Anthony Fauci told "Face the Nation" that R.S.V. cases were at a "critical" point but would hopefully reach their peak and decline soon. Monkeypox The virus was renamed Mpox by the World Health Organization in response to complaints that the word monkeypox conjures up racist tropes and stigmatizes patients. The Atlantic took a look at the future of the outbreak. Email your thoughts to virusbriefing@nytimes.com. Did a friend forward you the briefing? Sign up here. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Virus Briefing from The New York Times. To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018