COVID immunity gap could spell disaster for China — global health expert

January 18, 2022

COVID Immunity Gap Could Spell Disaster for China — Global Health Expert | GZERO World

China’s homegrown COVID vaccines were once crucial — but they're not as effective against omicron as mRNA jabs.

What's more, with with local cases near zero for the better part of the pandemic, most Chinese have no natural immunity. That could spell disaster for Beijing as omicron surges.

Yanzhong Huang, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, warns that the highly transmissible new variant will make zero COVID harder and harder to sustain.

If China’s current strategy fails, it’s likely that Xi Jinping will have to pivot to one that favors living with the virus.

Watch Huang’s interview with Ian Bremmer on GZERO World: Omicron & the undoing of China's COVID strategy

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A new set of forces is distorting the economy's response mechanisms and muting the traditional cycle. Listen to Strategic Alternatives, the RBC Capital Markets podcast, to hear Chief Economist Frances Donald break down what it means for companies, investors, and policymakers.

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In this week's Quick Take, Ian Bremmer talks about the landmark moment in the Middle East: All 20 remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas have been released, and a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas has been signed—brokered by President Trump.

Israel approved the Gaza ceasefire deal on Friday morning, bringing the ceasefire officially into effect. The Israeli military must withdraw its forces to an agreed perimeter inside Gaza within 24 hours, and Hamas has 72 hours to return the hostages.

We’re living in a time of record-high conflict, a level of violence not seen since World War II. The past four years have been marred by deadly battles in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Myanmar, and beyond, with approximately 14% of the planet’s population now impacted by war.

Think you know what's going on around the world? Here's your chance to prove it.