Evidence mounts that China omicron outbreak is spreading uncontrollably

58 new covid cases were reported today in Anyang and the city of 5 million is now in total lockdown, with residents only permitted to leave home to get a test.

The outbreak there was detected on the weekend and has been traced to a university student who traveled 600 km to the city from Tianjin nearly two weeks ago. That long timeline will make it extraordinarily difficult to contain the outbreak in both cities. Total cases in Anyang are now up to 84.

The main focus of containment is Tinjin, which is the fourth largest port in the world and bordering on Beijing. So far, the city of 15m has received test results for 3.4m people and found 31 symptomatic and 10 asymptomatic cases — all in one district. In total, they’ve detected 97 cases with 90 of them in the Jinnan district.

Officials have no idea where the current outbreak originated and it’s rapidly nearing the point where contract tracing is futile.

Did I mention that the Beijing Olympics start in 24 days?

Today Beijing police warned residents not to help any Winter Olympic vehicles
involved in crashes to avoid breaching the Games’ strict covid ‘bubble’.

I expect to see far more outbreaks in China and lockdowns, severely hurting domestic growth and global supply chains.

Zhengzhou (pop 13m) is also nearing a total lockdown and Hong Kong doesn’t appear to have any plan to get back to covid-zero, with cases predicted to spread this week.