China locks down residential buildings in Macau amid fresh surge in COVID-19 cases

In a bid to tighten the leash on the ascending COVID cases, Chinese authorities in Macau have sealed a number of residential buildings. According to a statement from the local administration, the city on Friday, June 24, recorded nearly 39 new instances of the coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of infected patients in the current outbreak to 149. Citizens were also barred from exiting a dozen of residential buildings, China Daily reported. The administration further revealed that more than 5,000 residents of the city are under quarantine. 

In addition to this, the restrictions on the closing of pubs, theatres, hair salons, as well as outdoor parks were also extended by the city starting Thursday. For the second time this week, Macau has been testing its 600,000+ citizens for the coronavirus, according to China Daily. 

Beijing's domestic, Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine is deemed as "ineffective"

Meanwhile, China's National Health Commission reported an alarming increase in SRAS-CoV-2 respiratory illness among the "doubly vaccinated" or even "boosted" Chinese population, calling Beijing's domestic, Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine "ineffective." As the nation's widespread vaccination drive delivered little to no results, Asian Lite International reported that Chinese authorities on Friday issued a warning to the population regarding an "explosive" COVID-19 outbreak. 

According to media reports, health officials have been battling to control a severe peak of a recent coronavirus outbreak that has spread to numerous provinces and is thought to be caused by the subvariant of the highly contagious strain Omicron. Only a few weeks have passed since China's Shanghai, Changchun, and Jilin provinces emerged from the strict lockdown that resulted in the closure of companies and manufacturing lines. 

Furthermore, Chinese research that was published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal demonstrated that Chinese vaccinations were unable to identify Omicron sub-variants, Asian Lite International reported.  

China COVID cases

It is pertinent to mention here that Chinese authorities have used every feasible action, including the contentious 'zero-covid policy', to reduce the virus transmission in the midst of the Covid-19 outbreak, ANI reported. However, it became all for nothing as a high pace of case growth is undermining China's ability to live normally. 

Over a fourth of China's population, or more than 400 million people, are impacted by the outbreak. After Chinese immunisations failed to control the coronavirus, as many as 45 cities, including the business capital of Shanghai, were recently put under heavy lockdown. Both international corporations and domestic enterprises in China have suffered as a result of the deteriorating situation there, ANI reported. Currently, many experts worry about a Chinese economic slump. 

Apart from this, citizens who are confined to their houses have been experiencing severe discomfort as a result of the Beijing government's arbitrary management of COVID-19. They are enraged by the lack of food and employment losses brought on by forced lockdowns. 

Further, as per Worldometers, over 225,526 individuals have been affected by the disease in the nation since the outbreak, and more than 5,226 people have lost their lives due to Coronavirus.

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