From vaccines to propaganda, Beijing has prioritized politics over science, creating conditions that make it difficult for China to join other countries in adapting to life with the coronavirus.
Nearly every province has recorded infections in recent days, leaving some 60 million residents locked down. Weariness is growing by the day as the restrictions go on seemingly without end.
Dry weather in southwestern China has crippled huge hydroelectric dams, forcing cities to impose rolling blackouts and driving up the country’s use of coal.