Does China’s obsession with disinfection really protect against Covid-19?
The Covid-19 pandemic, which began in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, has sent governments across the globe in a scramble to secure the safety of their citizens and shut down borders to keep the devastating effects of mass transmission on the economy and healthcare system at bay. As a result, policymakers have devised a myriad of regulations limiting private activities in an attempt to slow down the pandemic – of which the most extreme appears to be China’s rigorous ‘zero-Covid’ policy approach that aims to completely eradicate Covid cases within its borders through strict immigration control measures and social distancing requirements.
In particular, the country’s zero-Covid approach has become increasingly synonymous with images of workers in full-body hazmat suits spraying disinfectant all over public sidewalks, fences, or motor-roads in a seemingly non-discriminatory manner. This curious obsession with disinfection soon grew to enlist fire fighters, youth volunteers, and emergency rescue teams into its white-suited ranks.
In contrast to the laissez-faire approach of many Western countries, China’s concentrated efforts to contain the pandemic may be a reassuring sign. Yet, its intensive reliance on disinfectants, which grew the disinfectant industry’s output by 13.7% from 2019 to 2020, raises questions of its actual effectiveness. Recent research published by the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention suggests that Covid-19 virus via surface contamination have less than 1 in 10,000 chance of causing infection, meaning that mass disinfection campaigns are not necessary in countering the virus. Microbiology professor Emanuel Goldman further claims that “it is highly unlikely that any cases [will] result from touching contaminated surfaces as the virus dies quickly outside an infected person.” This may explain why many countries have turned to investing in mass vaccination and PCR testing campaigns to combat Covid-19.
Furthermore, while the World Health Organization (WHO) supports disinfecting high-risk surfaces such as public door handles, it warns that the overuse of disinfectants, even when applied outdoors, can be damaging to people’s health and induce eye, respiratory, or skin irritation and damage. The mass distribution of chlorine disinfectants holds further environmental repercussions, risking contamination to drinking water sources and placing lake and river ecosystems at danger.
As a result, some have suggested that China’s extreme pandemic responses may be guided more heavily by politics than epidemiology. Despite the potential risks and costs of disinfectants overuse, the Chinese Communist Party may be using disinfection campaigns as a strategic media display to portray their leaders’ commitment to protecting the ‘safety’ and ‘well-being’ of their people.
Perhaps China’s disinfection-driven zero-Covid policy can serve as a telling reminder to citizens around the world of the importance of combating Covid-19 with science rather than politics.
Sources: CNN World, CDC, ScienceDirect, Statista
