Chinese authorities are urging their citizens to get the coronavirus vaccine as the situation in the country turns messy amid the easing of the "zero-COVID" policy after nationwide mass protests.

Furthermore, the Asian nation is facing supply shortages, causing citizens to panic buy medicines, including ibuprofen, cold medicines, and COVID testing kits. Now, many products for home remedies have become largely unavailable online, including lemons and canned peaches that are rich in vitamin C, and electrolyzed water.

China's Zero-COVID Policies

While hoarding has been seen as a common issue among several nations worldwide, China's situation may be the first instance of it happening after the easing of lockdowns. Many people online have shared various photographs that showed bare grocery aisles in major cities ahead of strict "stay at home" orders being imposed.

But after China's recent easing of restrictions and track-and-trace rules and allowing citizens to self-isolate at home, people seem to be panic-buying medicines, expecting another winter wave. Authorities have urged local governments to upgrade their ICU units and open fever clinics by the end of December to prepare for a possible wave of infections, as per BBC.

Furthermore, there have already been signs that China's health system is quickly being overwhelmed by the number of cases. This week, video footage circulated that showed patients being hooked up to IV drips from their cars as clinics have become full.

A news media outlet in the Asian country, China Daily, said that there has been "explosive growth in demand" for pain-relief medicines, vitamins, and cold/flu drugs. Pictures were also shared showing empty pharmacy aisles and media outlets have been running stories on how production lines at pharmaceutical firms were working at full capacity to supply the demand.

According to Nikkei Asia, the situation has caused Chinese mainland residents to rush to Macao to get BioNTech's messenger RNA-based COVID-19 vaccines. One mainland tourist, who went by the name of Ni Lin, went to the hospital of Macao University of Science and Technology on Saturday, the last day of his visit to the area, to receive the mRNA vaccine, Comirnaty.

Read Also: CDC Officials Urge Use of Face Mask Amid 'Tripledemic,' Rising COVID-19 Cases 

mRNA Vaccines Against COVID-19

The tourist said that more than 100 mainland tourists also got the same vaccine on the same day, many of whom flew to Macao only for the shot. mRNA vaccines, which are products developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, have not been approved in China's mainland despite being the most widely-used vaccines worldwide.

Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical, BioNTech's partner in commercializing the vaccine in Greater China, received special Macao import authorization for the Comirnaty vaccine in February 2021.

Macao's COVID-19 Infection Response Coordination Center originally said that it did not provide vaccinations for people who were coming for short visits. But starting on Nov. 1, authorities in Macao ordered the expansion of access to the vaccine to non-local residents, including mainland tourists.

As China races to vaccinate its most vulnerable citizens on Thursday in anticipation of new waves of infections, some analysts have argued that the death toll will soar after the easing of lockdowns that has kept the pandemic away for three years, Reuters reported.

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