In China, the solidarity of Internet users in the face of the shortage of medicines
In Chinese pharmacies, like this one in Beijing, the shelves have been robbed to deal with the wave of Covid-19 that the country is taking full force.
Tuesday, December 13, 2022. © Ng Han Guan / AP
Text by: Stéphane Lagarde Follow
2 mins
While the Chinese government ended overnight, in early December, most of its strict health measures against Covid-19, the Chinese are running out of medicine.
Faced with this shortage, solidarity is organized thanks to boxes of anti-fever tablets shared via the networks.
Publicity
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With our correspondent in Beijing
, and
Louise May
, from the RFI office in China,
After the rush on pharmacies, two weeks after the
lifting of health restrictions,
some have decided to share the stamps they have in excess.
Uncensored positive stories, with videos on social networks where we see good Samaritans distributing sachets and tablets of medicine drop by drop
through
the window of their vehicle, free of charge, generously.
Sharing family stock
Mr. Wang, a used car salesman, went through Douyin (TikTok in China) to donate some of his family stock, from Shandong, in eastern China.
"
At first, I posted on a streaming platform, telling those who urgently and absolutely need medicine to come see us to get back what we had too much,
" he says.
It was obviously free and everything went.
And then I asked my wife to see with her acquaintances - doctors, vets and dentists - who also had extra treatment for the fever.
We collected three boxes that we shared.
»
► To read also: Covid-19: how China went from “zero Covid” to “full Covid”
State companies mobilized 24 hours a day
The sudden relaxation of epidemic prevention and control measures has caused an explosion in contamination.
Not everyone has had time to fill the medicine cabinet, hence this movement of solidarity: “
Who wants medicine?
Free delivery
”, launched these Internet users according to the
Pangpai information site
.
China/Covid: faced with the shortage of medicines, a solidarity movement is organized on the networks.
“You need 4 ibuprofen tablets for the 2 days when you are most feverish.
We can share the boxes from 24 to 6, ”say the Pekingese in solidarity.🧶
👉https://t.co/ILfbk6saz4 pic.twitter.com/G5Bi6qBUZd
— Stephane Lagarde (@StephaneLagarde) December 22, 2022
A gesture that remains in the minority.
China produces one-third of the active pharmaceutical ingredient in ibuprofen in the world.
She still faces shortages, due to infections affecting production lines.
According to
Caixin
magazine
, state pharmaceutical companies have moved to permanent, 24-hour production and have stepped up overseas purchases.
On the other hand, exports have been stopped.
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