Ashish Jha, US President Joe Biden’s response coordinator for the pandemic, said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, China is unlikely to rein in the latest coronavirus outbreaks by lockdown restrictions unless an improved vaccination campaign is put in place.

Key quotes

“It’s going to be very, very difficult for China to be able to contain this through their Zero COVID strategy.”

“I would recommend that they pursue the strategy making sure everybody gets vaccinated, particularly their elderly.”

“That, I think, is the path out of this virus. Lockdowns and Zero COVID is going to be very difficult to sustain.”

His comments come as several parts of China are grappled with protests against the countries restrictive measures, calling for President Xi Jinping to step down.

Market reaction

At the time of writing, risk sentiment remains heavy, with the US S&P 500 futures down 0.65% on the day while AUD/USD is losing 1% so far to trade at 0.6682.