Years of COVID lockdowns have left China vulnerable

+ why Brittney Griner case was difficult for US negotiators US Edition - Today's top story: China's loosened COVID-19 policies – following years of aggressive lockdowns and quarantines – have left the country vulnerable [View in browser]( US Edition | 12 December 2022 [The Conversation]( China’s response to the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 has been unique among large nations. A combination of strict lockdowns, aggressive quarantines and mandatory testing requirements did much to prevent COVID-19 from spreading widely through mainland China. But as a result of these at-times severe, yet effective prevention measures, most people in China have not caught or even been exposed to the coronavirus. As Elanah Uretsky, a medical anthropologist who studies the effects of Chinese health policy at Brandeis University, explains, “China has not followed the standard path of a pandemic where people slowly gain immunity through exposure or vaccination, allowing society to open up over time.” Following weeks of unusual protests across many cities in China, the government has now begun to rapidly loosen its strict “zero-COVID” policies. Many experts are worried that the virus will run rampant through a vulnerable population. In her story, Uretsky explains how China pursued a policy of zero-COVID and why “[in the coming months, the Chinese people may face the pain and suffering that many other places experienced in 2020 and 2021](.” Also today: - [Solving food waste and the “squander sequence”]( - [Why the Fed targets 2% inflation]( - [Are Americans losing their regional accents?]( Daniel Merino Assistant Science Editor & Co-Host of The Conversation Weekly Podcast Today's newsletter supported by [readers like you.]( The Chinese government has loosened restrictions designed to limit the spread of COVID-19. Kevin Frayer/Stringer via Getty Images [China’s loosened COVID-19 policies – following years of aggressive lockdowns and quarantines – have left the country vulnerable]( Elanah Uretsky, Brandeis University Strict lockdowns, quarantines and testing have prevented many people in China from catching COVID-19. 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Helping disabled people, curing diseases and improving human abilities. As far as I know, humanity has never stopped development of any fundamental technology simply because it may be used in a military setting. In fact the opposite is mostly true. Radar came out of WWII. Even nuclear technology developed in the same war while posing an existential threat to humanity has given us huge benefits...” – Reader Tom Rizzo on the story [Brain-computer interfaces could allow soldiers to control weapons with their thoughts and turn off their fear – but the ethics of neurotechnology lags behind the science]( - - About The Conversation: We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to [helping academic experts share ideas with the public](. We can give away our articles thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you. 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