I Caught Omicron. People in China Thought I Was Dying
After two years of stoking fear, Beijing will have a hard time persuading people to just live with the virus.
A long-distance hug in China.
Photographer: Future Publishing/Future PublishingChina has been practically Covid-free for two years. Most people there do not know of any family and friends who got the disease. So when I caught the contagious omicron variant two weeks ago, I immediately broadcast the development to my friends there — if nothing else, it was an exciting break from the monotony of lockdown in Hong Kong.
Their reaction surprised me. While there’s substantial evidence globally that omicron’s symptoms are mostly mild for the vaccinated — as I am — infection still carries a stigma in China. Even “sea turtles” — returnees from abroad — were alarmed. One friend asked me to buy Lianhua Qingwen, a Chinese medicine capsule believed to alleviate symptoms, “immediately,” even though I said my ailments were mild; besides, these capsules were sold out in Hong Kong.