Tens of millions of people are in lockdown in China as Covid cases hit a two-year high due to the spread of the Omicron subvariant BA.2. While daily cases are still relatively low, the highly transmissible nature of the subvariant is a cause of concern for the country which has so far taken a strict zero-Covid approach. Meanwhile, the city-state of Hong Kong has lost control of the elimination strategy and has seen daily cases hovering around 20,000-30,000.
China’s lockdowns are a worry for the global economy, adding pressure to the supply chain and contributing to higher prices around the world. Rodney Jones is an economist and principal of Wigram Capital Advisors, an Asian-based macro advisory firm which conducts Covid modelling.