“Wuhan Wuhan”; Just like us: Toronto Hot Docs Festival

I will admit throughout this “Wuhan Wuhan” documentary I had a few flashbacks to that smirking ex-President of the United States Trump with his sneering comments about “The Chinese Virus”, “The Wuhan Virus” or “The Kung Flu” directing hatred toward the Chinese trying to deflect from his incompetence in managing COVID-19. Is it any wonder in North America Asian hate crimes are on the rise?

The documentary focuses on both a strained daily lockdown life and the dire situation in Wuhan Hospital # 5 for the most serious COVID-19 cases and the Fangcang Temporary Hospital a convention centre turned into a temporary hospital in February 2020 when case counts were high.

We’ve all heard of the terrible struggles Chinese medical teams facing a disease they knew little about and short of PPE and hospital beds. Be prepared to see many sick people some convinced they would die, a makeshift memorial outside Wuhan Hospital # 5 for frontline workers killed by COVID, bodies placed in body bags, terrified patients yet note the dogged determination of doctors, nurses and psychologists.

One physician confides he had asked his good friend to make sure his daughter is taken care of if he doesn’t “make it”.

Hear one psychologist say all COVID patients need psychological therapy including the psychologists. Watch volunteer hairdressers cut hair of frontline staff to prevent or reduce the chances of an infection and to make PPE more comfortable. See bizarre scenes of COVID patients dancing and doing group exercises. Watch an endless cascade of anxiety and doubt.

But somehow they pull through with their dedication and even a wry sense of humour to the point since June 2020 there have not been any further outbreaks in Wuhan that by official statistics showing there were 50,008 cases with 2,574 deaths.

Then there is the side story of volunteer medical driver Yin and his pregnant Xu showing how everyday life for the Chinese in Wuhan can be so that a simplistic task of buying a crib becomes exceedingly difficult. I can relate to this as it took four months last summer to buy a new fridge! Yin says he can’t stand being in lockdown so his volunteer driving is his therapy. Xu eventually is rushed to the hospital giving birth to a healthy girl Chuning meaning Peaceful Hubei. Yes life goes on in spite of a pandemic.

Unlike many documentaries this is one where there is an instant connection as we are all going through this pandemic together and like Trump it will be defeated. And it shows yes Chinese are human beings all politics being put aside. The anger many of us felt for the inappropriate comments of a buffoon President must have been amplified in China.

While this is a gripping documentary it is a testament to the courage and determination of front-line workers of Wuhan. But as many of us have been through lockdowns or shelter at home and are sick and tired of COVID this documentary is perhaps one you just can’t handle. I hope you’ll overcome any COVID fatigue you have and go along for a familiar ride but one that occurred in China. The similarities to many cities in North America and Europe are, of course, staring you right in the eye.

The documentary streams virtually from April 29^th to May 9^th and you can purchase tickets at https://hotdocs.ca/p/hot-docs-festival

This 2021 90-minute Chinese, American and Canadian film is in Chinese with English subtitles. Yung Chang is the director and is a Chinese Canadian.

“Mutantism on The March”: Chapter 52 “Squid Heads Back to Montreal”

It had been centuries since Squid had been back in Montreal but his home in the caves of Mount Royal had remained undisturbed. Needless to say it needed a good spring cleaning but everything was exactly as he had left it. It definitely required some modernizing! But its environs had changed dramatically. No longer was Mount Royal the domain of fox, bear and deer. They had been replaced by a park and an artificial lake called Beaver Lake. There was a road right through Mount Royal and the once glorious view of the St. Lawrence River was obfuscated by skyscrapers of a bustling city called Montreal. The foot of the mountain was full of luxury homes in an area called Westmount and full of buildings belonging to McSwill University including the Royal Pictoria Hospital. No doubt the mutants lived in the dirty fumes of the city below.

Squid needed some re-education about the history of his former home so he dropped into the Redpath Library at McSwill University to catch up. When he tired of his reading he would drop down below to the student lounge and chat with the students drinking coffee from coffee machines. After several days lightbulbs in the student’s heads would flash making the connection that this was the Squid involved in Columbia and Nicaragua. The leftists enthusiastically supported his past actions but the small number of Marxist-Leninists , most of which were the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) informants, called him a bourgeoisie toadie siding with the colonialist Tarzan and mythical Santa Claus. The student lounge crowd mostly sided with Squid calling the Marxist-Leninist faction a bunch of roosters who crowed a lot but never did anything but criticize. The students were fascinated by Squid’s recounting tales of Jacques Cartaway in the 1500’s in the area. One Master’s student Charles Doyoun, delighted Squid by filling him in recounting the histories of certain insurance and railway companies and the role they had in the formation of Canada. Munching on May Easts and sipping poor quality coffee he portrayed a terrible story of swindle and exploitation of Chinese in the building of Canada’s railroads. Times had been good for the railway men and government, although at the time it was difficult to distinguish between the two. What was good for the railways was good for the government. The excuse of the government for greasing its own pockets and that the railway men was that a railway would create a nation. As the aboriginals had been killed off or placed in reservations there was no stopping the railway men! Swindle the West, the Maritimes for the benefit of Montreal and Toronto interests. The bank accounts of the politicians and railway men were fattened and later glorified in history books and to hell with the workers who died by the hundreds but they were Chinese so who cared. What a shame Doyoun mused that these swindlers and opportunistic businessmen were glorified in school history curriculums. No surprise to Squid as those Scots and Brits were like their early ancestors. After dealing with the Indians they subjected the French-Canadians.

The fate of the aboriginals was to be hounded off the island of Montreal into reservations to be resettled far away from the white man and his guilt, if he had any. Many lived in a huge slum called Fognawagna lacking proper medical, education and decent housing. They languished in a tax-free environment peddling moonshine, dope and cigarettes. Occasionally they were visited around election time by various politicians who would don a headdress and smoke a peace pipe in a photo-op opportunity. During the summer tourist season many Americans would flock to Fognawagna to snap away with their cameras as the dejected residents danced a few war dances like they had seen on Hollywood Westerns. Souvenirs would be sold and the Yankees would head off in the blazing summer heat with skis on their cars looking for skiing opportunities. The once proud inhabitants of the area had been excluded from political, economic and social affairs by a series of “protective measures” enacted by The Great White Father Incorporated. Perhaps they faced a better chance with spears and arrows. The white man had butchered the vocal aboriginal mutants and all that remained was silent desperation.

“Mutantism on the March” Chapter 51 “ More Trouble Headed to Earth”

The story of Ergot’s adventure reached the first page of the Zortixian daily;

Bluebeard Our Hero ?

Although reports are vague and somewhat inconsistent at this moment we Zortixians have much to be grateful for. Late last night a man calling himself Bluebeard slipped into the Central Zortixian Mental Rehabilitation Centre along with a few of his “crew”. We are not quite sure where this Bluebeard came from due to yesterday’s wildcat strike of the Zortixian Space Monitors. After he accomplished his brave deed he fled the scene thinking victory was his. Our reporter on the scene did see the mysterious attacker whom his companions called “Bluebeard”. He was in a rush to escape probably fearing some retaliation from the Zortixian authorities. The Zortixian Defence Force arrived too late to question this Bluebeard as his craft had already departed. The Defence Force inspected the premises and startling evidence was recovered, a plot that may have spelled disaster for the planet.

Certain documents were found hidden in the basement revealing the real Zortixian doctors had been kidnapped and murdered years ago and replaced by North Wertian impostors. Readers are aware North Wertia, a non-Federation planet, is a dire enemy of Zortixians and have often threated us with annihilation all because its president banged his space boot on the table at a peace conference and our delegation had a laughing fit infuriating the president.

The North Wertian impostors through their use of plastic surgery replicated the murdered Zortixian doctors and adopted their mannerisms and memories so that their families never gave a thought they were dealing with impostors.

The North Wertians were attempting to infiltrate the Central Zortixian Mental Rehabilitation Centre and other similar centres to brainwash the helpless inmates and transform them into mindless attackers to paralyze key Zortixian defence capabilities to facilitate the penetration of Zortixia by North Wertian forces. All the impostors were killed by the inmates at the suggestion of this Bluebeard. They were beaten to death by spoons and all 36 died before Zortixian Defence Force troops arrived. The patients thought the Zortixian Defence Force was going to retaliate against them. One inmate mentioned the North Wertian doctors had been giving them “experimental drugs” which investigators determined was the last step to turn the inmates to mindless attackers. And considering these impostors worked in 26 Zortixian mental rehabilitation centres they would have been a force to contend with.

Whomever this Bluebeard was we thank him for possibly saving many Zortixian lives. Professor Gladbags a patient at the Central Zortixian Mental Rehabilitation Centre and a former teacher of Earth Studies, told us that Bluebeard was a famous Earthling pirate that had long ago died.

A small powerful bomb was found in the basement. Unnamed sources have a theory Bluebeard was planning to blow-up the Centre but realizing the North Wertians were already dead and not wishing to harm the inmates did not detonate the bomb. It seems likely that Bluebeard had a score to settle with North Wertia. Frizzy the Smicket Boy said at a news conference that (cont’d on page 3)

While the Zortixians were celebrating their good luck Redbeard was literally tearing his beard off. Ergot was a long way from Zortixia but his feeble mind had failed to remind him to set the timer on the bomb he had hidden in the Centre! Redbeard would be furious so rather than face his wrath he persuaded his crew to join him on a voyage to Earth to see if they could locate Spiritaki Jiber and form a conquering army to finally bring Zortixia to its knees. Eno was excited as perhaps he could find Bluebeard and carry out brilliant acts of piracy with him. However he missed reading the footnote stating Bluebeard was dead. They eventually reached Earth but with a bad landing the craft was damaged but they had landed near the famous German Touselberger shipyards and sailed away in a reconstructed pirate ship that had been turned into a brothel. They ejected the sex workers and clients, set sail and off they went. The next day the ship owner was delighted as the insurance company money would pay off his debts. Lids Insurance Company of London was not thrilled.

“Mutantism on the March” :Chapter 50 “Eno Ergot Screws Up”

It so happened Eno Ergot was out on Lake Ballatin when he spied a vessel carrying the Anemic International delegates on their party cruise. By their strange non-Zorollian clothing Ergot believed they were alien invaders launching a deadly attack on his beloved Zorollia. It was time to attack so sails were hoisted and Ergot was basking in anticipation of how proud his uncle Redbeard would be that he smashed a surprise attack. The Anemic International delegates were delighted seeing this strange watercraft approach them thinking it was entertainment. The gaily dressed attackers scaled the ship shouting “Ahoy Matie” and “Shiver me timbers” brandishing swords. The security detail eventually pushed off the attackers but 6 of the Anemic International delegates were killed and 16 slashed. Ergot was thrilled with his courageous mission and eagerly trotted off to Uncle Redbeard to tell him about the glorious mission he had just returned from.

Redbeard was in a fury and ready to personally strangle his nephew. Eno entered the room with joy blurting out the details of his heroic mission. Redbeard listened with mock rapture having certain final plans for Eno in mind. He said to Eno, “You have done well my nephew and helped save the planet from great harm. You are now a new hero to the planet. But before we pin a medal on you I must advise you that now we are soon to be under enemy attack. At this very moment there are missiles aimed at us hidden in the Central Zortixian Mental Rehabilitation Centre. Our secret agents on Zortixia have advised us an attack on Zorollia is imminent. We must work quickly to destroy these missiles so I am sending you as the new hero to the nation to destroy these missiles. Take your men with you and be prepared to depart shortly. All Zorollian markings will be removed from your spacecraft to confuse our enemies.”

This was a dastardly trick and no more than an intentional suicide mission to rid Redbeard of the incompetent Ergot nephew of his. There was a Central Zortixian Mental Rehabilitation Centre but there were no missiles. Undoubtedly the whole band of incompetents would be blasted out of the sky long before they penetrated the Zortixian atmosphere. Thus Redbeard would be free forever from Ergot. A brilliant plan but about the carnage caused to the Anemic International delegates? This was going to require a tall tale to escape.

Ergot and his crew puffed up from the glorious attack had them thinking of enormous pensions and medals of bravery galore. Without further ado they were flying off to their suicide mission to the snickers of Redbeard. Well fate can be unpredictable as due to a wildcat strike of Zortixian space monitors Ergot’s ship slipped into Zortixian airspace unnoticed. They landed in the woods behind the Centre. Eno with a miniature but extremely powerful bomb slipped through the doors of the Centre along with several of his men not raising any suspicion as he and his crew were dressed like Zortixians. He found the basement and planted the bomb in a garbage container. Well the results of the raid were astonishing especially to the unwitting Redbeard. He had actually helped the Zortixians to discover an enemy plot even more heinous than Ergot’s suicide mission! The story is a bit confusing so let us glean the details from the front page of the Zortixian Daily.

“Mutantism on the March”: Chapter 49 “Eno Ergot Emerges”

Spiritaki Jiber (aka Jiber Junior) had precious little time to act when he heard that one of his cadre had ben captured by Frizzy the Smicket Boy chief of the Zortixian Defence Academy. Frizzy would not be afraid to bash about his prisoner unlike the soft Zortixians. If only Jiber had not sped off to Earth Frizzy missed an opportunity to catch an enemy of Zortixia. Jiber did contact his friend Eno Ergot before he fled. Ergot quite frankly was a total idiot but he was the nephew of Redbeard the leader of the Zorollian Opposite Party hence could be a valuable contact. Jiber had suggested to Eno that perhaps one day they could rendezvous on Earth and form a conquering army comprised of deluded earthlings. This army could be used to conquer the entire Federation and bring fame and glory to Eno and Jiber. Eno, a man easily led into adventure, agreed but no date was set. It might be soon as Eno’s mischief on Zorollia had angered his uncle Redbeard and had resulted in increasingly stiff reprimands.

Eno was possessed with Earth mania consuming the limited literature on this unknown planet. He was fascinated with one particular pirate called Bluebeard who shared a similar name to Redbeard his uncle. His thirst for knowledge was somewhat abated when he read an essay by William Montenez Junior from the planet of Zortixia entitled “Notorious and Bloodthirsty Characters of the Planet Earth: How to Avoid Similar Historical Situations”. It contained a detailed essay on the pirate Bluebeard and the type of sailing vessel he used on his missions of plunder. After spending hours looking at Bluebeard’s ship he began constructing a replica with the help of his friends at the Zorollian Engineering Academy. The first two sank upon launching but the third try was lucky and he could be seen sailing it on the Zorollian capital’s city lake, Lake Ballatin, manned by a crew of recently freed convicts. Redbeard was delighted to see his nephew had finally settled down to a proper life. Anyways this weird vessel took the Zorollian minds off their dismal state of affairs.

Redbeard, the sole Opposite Party brute in power, had been facing pressure from the other Federation leaders regarding the conditions of Zorollian detention centres particularly the conditions facing political prisoners. What was a little torture now and then? Being a benevolent leader, he extended an invitation to Anemic International to investigate for themselves the conditions in Zorollian detention centres.

Very quickly new detention centres were constructed, the prisoners clothed in the latest fashion and fed enormous healthy meals so they would appear with glowing complexions. The worst outspoken prisoners were removed to unnamed prisons not on the formal inspection list. Paid Opposite Party members were to assume the role of detainees so as to create an impression of decent Zorollian detention life. The Anemic International delegation arrived on Zorollia and spent a week investigating. They had their suspicions of a hoax but without concrete evidence they could only prepare a vague report. On their last day they were invited to a lavish cruise on the beautiful Lake Ballatin near the capital city where Stogy Fish caviar and enormous quantities of muga berry liquor were consumed.

“Generation Utoya” Why? Toronto Hot Docs

You may remember that horrific day in July of 2011 when Anders Breivik killed 69 people, most of them young adults, at a summer camp on the tiny Norwegian island of Utoya which is 25 kilometres west of Oslo. He also planted a bomb in a governmental building in Oslo that killed 8. The killings and bombings were a shock but also the fact that such an event could occur in Norway. While we are somewhat accustomed to deranged killers in The United States, Norway is a country where such things aren’t supposed to happen. So again you are asking why.

Breivik wrote a rambling manifesto before the killing posting his upcoming mission expressing his hatred for liberals allowing the Muslimification of Norway. The young adults were members of the AUF (Norwegian Workers Youth League). Although Breivik admitted to the killings he never agreed they were criminal acts.

The documentary also causes one to wonder why the mass killings occurred in Nova Scotia last April. Why?

Can we blame it on insanity? Or hatred? On extremism? Or is it a lethal combination of all three. As for Breivik perhaps that deserves a documentary itself. But this documentary deals with the survivors of the Utoya killings.

The common denominator of the survivors was terror and disbelief.

One of the 4 women featured suffers from anxiety and panic attacks with PTSD. You can be assured she isn’t the only victim of mental distress. She feels guilt for having survived. All are fearful of extremism.

One woman becomes deputy mayor of Oslo and another Ina, becomes the leader of the AUF both becoming political activists trying to change a damaged world. Was their foray into politics spurred by Utoya? Ina says we must speak out against intolerance and xenophobia. She also makes an interesting comment about how freedom of speech can be dangerous. Even seemingly rock-solid Ina suffers from panic attacks.

One would have thought this may have been a wake-up call for Norwegians that even in Norway extremism can take hold and in fact anti-Muslim sentiment has only grown in Norway. You may share my view that it demeans the death of so many innocent people.

And you think it can’t happen in Canada? Well it already has as the killings in Nova Scotia and at the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal not to mention the van attack in Toronto illustrate. As recent events in Washington show extremism is thriving in the United States. Is extremism a historical imperative? It has been around for centuries and Utoya is but an example.

The film is available virtually and tickets can be purchased at the Hot Docs website https://hotdocs.ca/p/hot-docs-festival

The film is 99 minutes and in Norwegian with English subtitles. You can see between April 29-May 9 and once you start streaming you have 48 hours to watch. Hot Docs films are only available in Canada.

“Dark Blossom”: Welcome to the Goth World: Toronto Hot Docs

“Dark Blossom” may be one of the most artistic documentaries I have seen is some time. It’s not a documentary that is preoccupied with plot but almost serves an excuse to present a richly crafted cinematography all you can eat Bellagio buffet. Yes you get the sense you are watching a film you might see at an art museum crossed with a horror movie, music video and a fashion show. Visually stunning.

Director and cinematographer of this Danish film Frigge Fri graduated from the Fatamorgana school of art photography. Most of her short career has consisted as acting as a cinematographer and has directed a score of music videos. “Dark Blossom” is her first feature-length documentary film directorial debut. To be frank this documentary is not heading for a big commercial success but if you agree with me cinema can be an art film this documentary is for you.

You’ll be exposed to Goth culture where fashion and image are extremely vital. You’ll be introduced to three Goths basically ill at ease with society and find a sense of community in the Goth world.

Josephine grew up with divorced parents in a small Danish town and just could not fit in at school and found refuge and meaning in the Goth community.

Nightmare is Josephine’s friend and was subject to bullying and exclusion at school while Jay lives in a strict religious family which tries to exclude him from the evils of the world.

All three find sanctuary, creativity and meaning in their Goth world. As director Fri states, “Josephine, “Nightmare” and Jay all have a strong creative vein and they use it to express the darkness each of them carry around. And precisely the channelling of for example loneliness, anxiety and lack of understanding from their surroundings, I find to be a huge inspiration and I have also become fascinated by their unstoppable access to express their inner demons through creativity.”

The documentary is 90 minutes in length and is in Danish, English, Urdu and German with English subtitles. It is having its international premiere at Hot Docs. You can see the film from 29April to 9May and buy tickets at the Hot Docs website https://hotdocs.ca/p/hot-docs-festival  . It can only be watched from within Canada.

You can watch the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFZ3vdmhVII

“Mutantism on the March” :Chapter 48 “Squid Concludes His Central Park Speech”

“Wasn’t that a great performance by Britty!

Physical mutants can be blind, missing limbs, fat, ugly, lepers and cancer victims just to name a few. Often they can be scapegoated or mocked by the “normal citizen”. They should be given encouragement to live up to their potential. They serve to embarrass governments that ignore their special needs. A humanity they claim to be serving. As they are visible mutants governments do their utmost to hide them from the rest of population. Mutantism has the potential to show a nation the liars the establishment is comprised of. Mutants have great political potential but they have been brainwashed into a state of amplified shame. Mutants should spend time confronting their frustrations. Some of the causes of frustration are low wages, exclusion from political power, a poorly funded medical system, general discrimination leading many to a drone like existence. It is time mutants realized who benefits from their misery.

Then we have the mind mutants locked up in psychiatric institutions or prisons as there is no room for them in treatment centres. They tell us we live in an age of perfection. Who is to say what constitutes sanity? Mind mutants are subject to crude forms of mind control but rest assured more sophisticated forms of mind control will soon arrive. In many cases mind mutants are completely sane by establishment standards but are often called political deviants like in the USSR today which locks them away or sends them to re-education camps. So mutants in some countries are actually political prisoners. Here in the USA they are not labelled as political deviants but rather categorized as behavioural criminals. Nonconformists imprisoned for their own safety.

Mind mutants can be hippies, beatniks, Baptists, professors, anarchists and drug fiends etc. They have ideas that are dangerous to the establishment and often in contradiction to the political hegemony of the ruling classes.

“Mental institutions” must fling open their doors and let patients go back on the streets if they are not dangerous to the public. The only reason they were imprisoned was because the establishment could not understand them therefore they were placed in prison cells where they could be “rehabilitated”. The “corrective action” they are subject to is little more than an attempt to brainwash which enables non-mutant mind imperialism to function. I would argue that as a stop gap measure street centres be established and not cells patrolled by the white coated Pharisees. Psychiatrists dealing with “mental cases” act as ideological correctors. But let me make it clear that rapists, serial killers, arsonists, pedophiles and truly dangerous criminals should be kept under guard until mutants can devise a better course of treatment for them.

Well I shan’t ramble on any more as there are several other speakers to follow. In closing I say we must fight relentlessly for the rights of mutants. The key to success is to fight relentlessly for the dignity of mutants in all situations. I believe an international mutant newspaper should be established to keep us informed of successes and defeats. We have a good deal to learn from each other. This communication method can help us build a strong and unified movement. Now as for organization Ricky Regurdle will be organizing the United Mutations and he needs your input as mutants this is your movement.

Wait, I have just been handed a note that Ricky Regurdle has funded a Mutant Studies Fellowship at Mumblia University here in New York and Santa Claus and Tarzan shall be the first-year lecturers. A hand for Ricky please.

As for me I am off tomorrow to Montreal but I shall visit you here from time to time. Long live mutantism and the United Mutations!”

The Great COVID-19 Bake Off

When the going gets tough; the tough bake

Stephen Hickmore10 postsPosted on Yesterday at 9:04 am

If you had asked me in November 2019 “Stephen, what is COVID-19?”, I would’ve taken an educated guess; that it’s a type of specially formulated shampoo for grey hair?

If you had told me that all restaurants and hotels would suddenly close overnight and we would be put under house arrest for most of 2020, I would probably have laughed loudly and given you a helpline number.

As I write this, we are 342 days into Lockdown restrictions in South Africa. Who knows how long this will last? What we do know is; the world is still in the grips of the biggest crisis since World War II. For much of 2020, people were either working from home or sadly unemployed. With certainly, I can say, we had / have far too much time on our hands.

Our beloved Hospitality industry is struggling. Until March 26^th 2020 , we were the centre of people’s fun. The place to celebrate a happy occasion, a successful business deal, a wedding, a product launch or a divorce party. Guys – we were once the high point of the week for one and all!

So, what were our customers doing? How did they expend time they would’ve spent with us? Did middle managers swell their minds with on-line courses? Did CEO’s binge on re-runs of the Singapore Open? Were advertising executives stripping car engines? Did hairdressers indulge in DIY projects? No, they did not.

They were baking!

Just look at Facebook and Instagram circa March to September 2020. Actuaries crafting carrot cake, foreign exchange traders fluffing up meringues, estate agents baking poppy seed muffins, sour faced accountants proudly exhibiting sourdough bread. I don’t understand humans! When the going gets tough, the tough BAKE? Are our ‘culinarily challenged’ friends only trying to keep busy?

I read this quote on a blog called Minds Journal:

Feeling the need to be busy all the time is the trauma response and fear-based distraction from what you’d be forced to acknowledge and feel if you slowed down

To be fair, we all need distraction. The constant barrage of negative news is draining and promotes fear. Perhaps the process of baking is somehow therapeutic? In a world filled with uncertainty, the ability to control a small part of our lives is compelling. Making bread is tactile, it requires patience and planning. I know chefs won’t believe me but, baking is stress relieving and the feeling of achievement good for the soul.

Baking has become planet Earth’s distraction of choice during lockdown. A look at the supermarket shelves during the height of lockdown, It was a struggle to find bread flour and, though it’s cheating, pre-mixed scone blends were the first to fly off the shelves.

In my mind; It’s not just about the process and joy of baking something delicious. It’s the communal satisfaction of sharing with family and friends. The primal consummation of breaking bread together. Togetherness and love. ‘Stephen, how existential’ you may gasp?

During this pause from the feverish pace of business, the uncompromising hamster wheel of commerce – are we learning humility?

Perhaps just staying home, being kind and baking helps us through these tough months, until we meet again.

Is China “back to normal” after COVID-19

‘Vaccines Are Not Our Cure’

April 22, 2021

ANNALIES WINNYASSOCIATE EDITOR

Image credit Passengers wear masks while commuting on the Shanghai metro, April 7 2021. Image: Wei Wei

Unlike much of the world, life had already returned to a relative normal by the time COVID-19 vaccines arrived in China.

When Wei Wei, a product planning manager for flu vaccines at Sanofi Pasteur China, returned to Shanghai from the US in May 2020, he was immediately put into a 14-day quarantine.

“When I left the hotel, society was already looking back to normal. And that was before last summer,” he says.

Still, in his line of work—which involves market research for flu vaccines—the pandemic is still front of mind. The development, demand, and rollout of COVID vaccines is being closely watched as it may well influence the future of the vaccine industry, Wei says.

In the latest installment of GHN’s COVID Countries series, Wei discusses how the pandemic looks in China now, what COVID vaccines mean for the vaccine market, and WeChat’s pivotal role in monitoring the pandemic.

China:

102,294 cases
4,485 deaths

Source: Johns Hopkins

Big Picture

From a disease control perspective, China is doing pretty well.

In most public places—malls, public transportation—people are required to wear masks. But otherwise, people aren’t very much influenced by the pandemic anymore.

Schools are open again, and outbreaks are concentrated in small clusters—usually involving imported cases—that are addressed quickly.

For example, in late March a new set of cases surfaced in Ruili City, Yunnan Province, which is on the border with Myanmar. The city was quarantined, and medical supplies, medical teams, and contact tracers were sent in. Then, on April 1, vaccinations and nucleic testing began for the city’s 300,000 people. The aim was to vaccinate everybody in 5 days.

Mood of the People

In China, people are quite cooperative with orders or government policies. That part of the culture is deep rooted—people try to be cooperative and follow rules.

Vaccines are not our cure.

Before we had vaccines, people knew that by following rules, everyone would have a better situation. The ‘I want to go wherever I want’ attitude doesn’t happen that much here.

Stigma

At the beginning of the pandemic, I was still studying at Johns Hopkins and living in the US when President Trump was calling COVID-19 “the China virus.” Luckily, I didn’t experience any hostility myself—but my thinking was, ‘This will finally pass, either this pandemic or this presidency.’

I’m a positive person, and I believe that the global health community will win back its position, and people will be more respectful to those around them.

Media

WeChat—which is our equivalent of WhatsApp or Facebook—is the most popular source of information in China, and most people use it to check for updates from the government and other sources.

The government also has a central TV channel.

Everyone is assigned a code that can be found in WeChat or Alipay (a mobile payment platform), which the government uses to track their movements, where they’re living and for how long they’ve stayed somewhere.

If you travel to a high-risk area, the government will be able to see where you come from, who you’ve been in contact with, etc.

It’s pretty obvious if you come from an area where there’s outbreak—and it will at least be advised to stay in the area, and I doubt you’ll be able to go far if you try to leave that place.

Vaccine Situation

Unlike many parts of the world, vaccines arrived in China when things were already mostly back to normal.

The government wants everyone to get vaccinated to build this immunity—but not everyone is rushing to get vaccinated. Many people feel the risk is relatively low.

There are now 5 different COVID vaccines being used in China—all of them from domestic brands.

Three of them are inactivated vaccines, one adenovirus vector vaccine and one recombinant vaccine. One company, Fosun group, is trying to import 100 million doses of Pfizer/BioNtech mRNA vaccine, but it hasn’t been licensed here yet.

The target is to reach 40% vaccination coverage by the end of June, according to Zhong Nanshan, who is leading the national COVID response working group, and nearly 3 million people are being vaccinated each day. The peak number is 6 million a day.

Over 200,000,000 doses have been administered. Over 80% of the healthcare professionals have already been vaccinated.

People are prioritized in 3 categories:

Key populations, like those with occupational exposure risks, and risks of contact with imported cases.
High-risk populations, such as people with chronic conditions and elderly people
The lay public

For my line of work—which involves market research for flu vaccines—COVID vaccines could have a big impact.

At the beginning of flu season last year, people were trying very hard to get flu vaccines, and the willingness to get the flu vaccination has been increasing.

The diseases have very similar symptoms—and people don’t want to catch flu and then be treated as a potential COVID patient. And there overlaps in the way that vaccines for the diseases are administered and distributed.

The speed of COVID-19 vaccine development has accelerated almost all aspects of the vaccine industry, from vaccine development to approval to distribution and administration. For example, were it not for the pandemic, the mRNA vaccine platform would be taking much longer to advance.

What’s happening in your country? To be part of GHN’s COVID Countries series, email Brian at bsimpso1 [at] jhu.edu.

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