After a spring with extensive shutdowns, everyday life is back in China in many ways.

The country, which in early spring was the epicenter of the coronavirus, has according to statistics from Johns Hopkins University 4742 registered deaths in covid-19, which is far below the numbers in countries in, for example, Europe and North America.

- They were quick in their response, which meant that the virus could be limited, says Anna Mia Ekström, professor of global infection epidemiology at Karolinska Institutet.

The population has made sacrifices

Other factors that she believes may have influenced the development of the coronavirus in China are the country's centralized healthcare system, good access to protective equipment, a small proportion of the elderly living in nursing homes and the rapid closure of borders with the outside world.

Anna Mia Ekström also points out that there is a greater understanding in the population to make the sacrifices that a major shutdown requires.  

Former China Ambassador Börje Ljunggren is in the same line.

He believes that China and other countries in East Asia have early on invested in testing and infection tracing.

He also highlights the country's authoritarian system, which allows people to be mobilized and controlled quickly. 

- In Qingdao, which is a city of nine million people, everyone was tested after an outbreak of covid.

It has to do with the character of the repressive state, but here it is still something that people want to contribute to, he says.

"Sure they follow this closely"

But can one trust China today to manage to keep the corona virus in check?

Anna Mia Ekström believes that the main sign that there is no widespread spread of infection today is that China has not shut down again.

Other signs are that students are back at the country's schools and universities and that they are happy to emphasize that growth is better than expected.

- I am absolutely sure that they are following this closely, and should there be signs of an increased spread of infection, the authorities would react quickly.

They would not allow the virus to spread unchecked, she says.