Comments by "Peter Jacobsen" (@pjacobsen1000) on "China’s Lockdown Problem" video.

  1. Sitting here in Shanghai, now on my 45th day in lock-down, my mood is not good. I want this to end, the sooner the better. And what about the risk of increased deaths? It is true that many elderly people never got vaccinated, so they are certainly at risk. But let's look at the data: Up until now, roughly 550,000 cases (including asymptomatic) have been found in Shanghai over the last few months. In the same time period, about 550 people have died from Covid for a rate of 1/1000, or 0.1%. Should the virus be allowed to spread uncontrollably, perhaps 50% of the nation's population will get infected (based on numbers in other countries). This would mean that up to 0.05% of the entire population may die, for a total of 700,000 deaths. That may sound like a lot, but China has 10+ million annual deaths from all causes, so an additional 700k means an uptick of 7% compared to now. And that's if it all happens during one single year. Are Chinese people willing to sacrifice other people's lives? Yes, they are! And so are the rest of us. In traffic, during sports and adventure activities, at work, at war, as punishment for crimes. We are willing to sacrifice lives because we feel it serves a greater purpose of living a full life. During these times, that greater purpose is keeping society functional, letting people live their lives and letting them go about their business. I think that purpose is worth a little risk.
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  2.  @fuyuan822  Yes, also a possibility. In any case, the policy of 'Zero Covid' is set, so it won't get changed now. But I also wonder if Big Boss is using this opportunity as an attack on the Shanghai faction in the top leadership to ensure he continues as the Big Boss.
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  3.  @ouyangon5711  Yes, that's possible. We are not willing to sacrifice lives for social order. You are not willing to sacrifice lives for personal freedom.
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