While Mina, a former Harvard epidemiologist, was an early proponent of using inexpensive at-home tests to screen populations for initial cases of Covid before they spread, he says China is taking the concept to another level. Entire cities and towns are covered by mass-testing mandates that require laboratory analysis, with results sent to health tracking apps on a person’s smartphone.
The approach could temporarily wipe out the virus within China — the authorities’ aim — yet leave the country even more vulnerable to it, Mina said.
“Watching what I have advocated for go too far, it really does demonstrate that sometimes these ideas can actually do damage,” said Mina, who is now the chief science officer at eMed, a company that offers at-home Covid tests and telemedicine services. “China taking this approach certainly makes me think twice about the approaches that I’ve advocated widely for.”
Mina says he questions the health implications of such widespread screening, and notes the economic costs. More than two years after the arrival of Covid, it’s clear the virus is here to stay. By keeping people completely cut off from the pathogen, China may make them more vulnerable once they are exposed, he said.
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