Topic: China Covid

The hosts critique the delivery style of PBS NewsHour's reporting on the closure of U.S. consulates in China due to COVID-19 testing disputes. Adam Curry performs an impression of the news reader, suggesting he could work for PBS as a backup career.

Radio Free Asia (RFA) claims it was the first to uncover the true scale of COVID-19 deaths in Wuhan by calling local crematories. RFA leadership, including Carrie Lake, expressed shock that their $60 million annual grant was terminated for failing to "effectuate the priorities of the administration."

Chinese dissidents and U.S. lawmakers commemorated the one-year anniversary of the "White Paper Movement," where citizens protested zero-COVID policies by holding blank sheets of paper. Simultaneously, reports are emerging of a new undiagnosed pneumonia outbreak in China, causing a spike in hospitalizations. Lawmakers expressed concern over a lack of transparency from the Chinese government, drawing parallels to the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reports from China indicate a massive wave of COVID-19 infections, with half a million cases daily in some cities ahead of the Lunar New Year. The show concludes with musical mixes featuring "Winter of Severe Illness and Death" clips and a satirical Santa Claus message regarding ESG and the World Economic Forum.

Moderna has registered as a legal entity in mainland China to pursue opportunities in the world's second-largest economy. This move comes as Pfizer and BioNTech reduce their European supplies and Chinese epidemiologists predict a new COVID-19 wave that could peak at 60 million infections per week in June. Beijing has previously insisted on using only domestically produced vaccines.

China has dismantled its strict Zero-COVID policy just ahead of the Lunar New Year, leading to the first mass travel period without restrictions in three years. While the Chinese government officially reports 60,000 deaths since December, the health analytics firm Airfinity predicts deaths could reach 36,000 per day during the holiday. The World Health Organization continues to accuse China of underestimating the severity of the current outbreak.

Reports from NTD and Epoch Times highlight a suspicious drop of 21 million cell phone subscriptions in China during the early stages of the pandemic in 2020. While Chinese citizens use phones for essential services, the sharp decline suggests a much higher death toll than officially reported. The hosts revisit this statistic, which they first covered in early 2020, as a potential indicator of the CCP's lack of transparency.

Doctors in China have reportedly been instructed to avoid listing COVID-19 as the cause of death on official certificates, attributing fatalities to underlying conditions like heart disease or asthma instead. This directive aims to keep official mortality numbers low during the current virus surge. The hosts also discuss the narrative shift in the West, where the new wave of variants is being blamed on China's "re-opening."

An obituary for a high-ranking Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official inadvertently revealed a history of multiple organ transplants, sparking renewed allegations of forced organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners. The theory is presented that China's draconian "Zero-COVID" lockdowns were primarily designed to protect immunocompromised CCP elites who had received transplants. The recent easing of restrictions may be linked to the deaths of key elderly officials who could no longer be shielded from the virus.

China officially winds down its zero-COVID policy, shifting focus from infection prevention to vaccination and treatment. New protocols eliminate neighborhood lockdowns, mandatory isolation for positive cases, and quarantine requirements for inbound travelers. While PCR tests upon arrival are waived, travelers still require a negative test 48 hours before departure, and overseas group tours remain restricted.

The United States government is implementing new travel restrictions requiring negative COVID-19 tests for travelers arriving from China starting in early January 2023. This policy follows Beijing's decision to lift its "zero COVID" restrictions, which reportedly led to a massive spike in cases. Experts warn that holiday travel in the US could further exacerbate domestic surges.

Following the abrupt end of "Zero COVID" policies in China, cases are surging in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai. Reports indicate that funeral homes are overwhelmed and schools have returned to online learning. Authorities are deploying nasal spray boosters to the public as they brace for a potential death toll exceeding one million by late 2023.

China is experiencing a record surge in COVID-19 cases, reaching nearly 33,000 daily infections despite strict zero-tolerance policies. Public anger has boiled over into rare protests and factory riots in cities like Zhengzhou, home to a major iPhone plant. Citizens are reportedly drawing comparisons between their confinement and the unmasked crowds visible in international World Cup broadcasts.

Xi Jinping secured an unprecedented third term as leader of China during the recent Party Congress, effectively becoming leader for life. His tenure has been defined by a crackdown on Uyghur minorities in Xinjiang, the strict "Zero COVID" policy, and a "no limits" partnership with Vladimir Putin. Internal dissent within the Chinese bureaucracy is being systematically eliminated to ensure total loyalty to Xi's vision.

The Chinese government announced for the first time that its top Communist Party leaders have been vaccinated with domestically produced COVID-19 vaccines. While specific names were not released, the National Health Commission framed the announcement as a sign of trust in Chinese-made shots. This disclosure comes as China maintains its strict "dynamic zero COVID" policy to protect an elderly population with lower vaccination rates.

Despite reports that the Shanghai lockdown has ended, "boots on the ground" reports from Professor JJ reveal a new "rolling lockdown" system and mandatory testing every 72 hours. A two-tiered society has emerged where the wealthy pay for private testing to maintain "green" QR codes, while others face sudden building-wide quarantines if a neighbor tests positive. The city remains under a strict "Zero COVID" policy despite a 90% vaccination rate.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described China's "Zero-COVID" policy as unsustainable, leading to immediate censorship of his comments on Chinese social media platforms like Weibo and WeChat. This rare public disagreement follows President Xi Jinping's vow to "resolutely struggle" against critics of the policy. The friction suggests a potential shift in the relationship between the WHO and Beijing.

Boots-on-the-ground reports from Shanghai indicate that while cases are dropping, millions remain under draconian lockdowns. President Xi Jinping reaffirmed the "Zero-COVID" strategy as scientific and effective. The discussion notes that only 20% of Chinese citizens over 80 have been boosted.

As part of China's strict "Zero-COVID" policy, thousands of truck drivers are being physically sealed inside their vehicle cabins for weeks. Drivers report having no access to fresh food or a change of clothes while being forbidden from leaving their trucks. This measure has paralyzed logistics and contributed to global supply chain disruptions.

China has implemented massive new lockdowns in cities like Shenzhen and Dongguan, affecting over 51 million people, in response to the Omicron BA.2 sub-variant. These "Zero-COVID" measures have raised significant concerns about further disruptions to global supply chains. Some analysts suspect the timing of these lockdowns may be strategically linked to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine or domestic economic goals.