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China bouncing back after Covid-19 despite new cluster

May 13, 2020

After no more deaths from Covid-19 in the past two weeks, China appears to be bouncing back. 

Despite a recent outbreak of cases - including in Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus - Chinese authorities say they have triumphed. 

Accused of covering up early reports of the outbreak and and facing accusations that the virus came from the illegal wildlife trade or even an accidental leak from a virology lab, China knows it's under pressure internationally, the BBC reports. 

But you wouldn't know it from state-owned media, showing that China has triumphed over the virus at home and as a powerful provider of medical aid to a world in disarray. 

Some scientists believe the wide use of masks could be the key to China's success at controlling the virus and reducing infection rates. 

"We know that many Covid-19 patients are asymptomatic or very mildly symptomatic so they won't go for testing at all. A mask is a product that can actually protect you and others from getting infected as a result," professor Yuen Kwok Yung from University of Hong Kong told the BBC. 

In Wuhan, the city where the outbreak began, it appears that authorities are now planning to test all 11 million residents. 

It's the result of a small new cluster of cases, according to state-run media. 

There are other aspects of China's approach that may be hard to emulate, like forcing people to download apps that track their movements. 

Whether by coercion or common sense, few can doubt that China appears to have turned a corner seemingly against the odds. 

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