China Covid pandemic protests: Dr Nick Coatsworth warns most perilous moment is ... trends now

A top Australian doctor has warned that the world is facing the most perilous moment of the Covid pandemic as the virus runs out of control in China.  

Former federal deputy chief medical officer Dr Nick Coatsworth said the Chinese government's inability to get elderly residents vaccinated meant the 'genie was out of the bottle' and warned we would now see 'significant' Covid spread and even death. 

China has been pursuing a controversial zero-Covid policy by trying to eliminate the virus through harsh restrictions and quarantine measures. 

However, its reliance on its own vaccines, rather than superior foreign ones, has led to a huge spread of Covid and growing discontent, with thousands of people taking to the streets in China this week to protest against President Xi Jinping's policies. 

Appearing on the Today Show on Wednesday, Dr Coatsworth said the chaos in China was a bad sign for the rest of the world.

'I'd almost say that this is the most serious moment for the globe in the pandemic,' he said.   

'Obviously China has had a particularly stringent Covid Zero policy but unfortunately that hasn't been accompanied by an ability to convince elderly Chinese to get vaccinated.

'So we have a situation now where in a country of 1.4 billion people, only 40 per cent of over 80s have received a third dose of Covid-19 vaccine.'

Dr Coatsworth said China would no longer be able to 'hold back' Covid as it spreads through the nation.

'With the Omicron variant being so infectious it will spread now and I think the genie is certainly out of the bottle,' he said.

'The Chinese government won't be able to hold back Covid now and it will spread through that population and we will see significant health impact and deaths.

'Whatever one

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