Expert's take on spread of COVID-19 in China, Shanghai lockdowns

중국 신규 감염자 8천 명대…3월에만 7만 명 넘어 Now it’s time for On Point, where we speak to experts to delve deeper into the biggest news stories in the spotlight right now. Drastic measures have been taken by Chinese authorities to control the COVID-19 surge spreading through mainland China’s biggest financial hub, Shanghai. They mega-city has been divided in two and on Monday came under the country's biggest lockdown since the early months of the coronavirus pandemic. Shanghai is locking down the city of 26 million in two stages with residents required to stay at home and deliveries left at checkpoints. Only offices and all businesses considered essential are allowed to open and public transport has been suspended. This is the first time Shanghai has been put on lockdown. That’s China, but the virus is still gripping most of the world even after all these years. For more, we connect to Ben Cowling, Chair Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Hong Kong. Thanks for joining us, Professor Cowling. Starting with the lockdown in Shanghai. This is the first time we’ve seen such a move in a Tier-A Chinese city . Beijing’s zero-COVID policy has come in for criticism for its heavy-handed approach. As an expert yourself, what's your thoughts on this? The powers that be have now deemed it acceptable to discuss the lab leak theory as a possible explanation for the pandemic. I wanted to get your thoughts on that. And when you put the virus under a microscope, do you see something that appears to have seemingly unnatural elements? China is now admitting it has some outbreaks, but given that its a country of almost one-point-billion people, the number of cases seem to be relatively small. Do you think China is covering up a bigger problem and if so, how bad do you think is the situation there? Finally, South Korea seems to be over the peak of the Omicron wave, but officials say a new variant could hit at any time. Millions of people here have had Omicron and recovered. If a new strain comes ago, will those people’s natural immunity likely protect them against a potential new variant? Professor Cowling, we are grateful for your insights. It’s always a pleasure talking to you and thanks as always for joining us. #COVID19 #China #Shanghai 📣 Arirang News(Facebook) :   / arirangtvnews   📣 Arirang News(Twitter) :   / arirangtvnews   📣 News Center(YouTube) :    / newscenter_arirangtv   2022-03-31, 08:00 (KST)