You're listening to Roundtable.
I'm Niu Honglin, joined by Steve and Xinyu.
It starts with a scratchy throat on a Monday morning.
By lunchtime, your body aches, your head feels heavy, and you're debating whether it's just a cold or something more.
The hospital is crowded, your schedule is full and online ads promises answers from at-home flu tests to something called a liquid mask.
In 2025, we navigate health choices in China differently.
And on this Friday, we wish to, as always, brighten your day with something that has made us happy.
In Roundtable's Happy Place.
We share what's been bringing us joy, in hopes that it inspires you to find the little moments of happiness in your own life as well.
But now…
Flu season comes every year and rising cases have many people looking for quick ways to protect themselves.
These days, at-home rapid tests are flying off the shelves and liquid masks are catching eyes online.
Some of these tools may actually help, while others are more experimental.
Today we'll explore what's out there and give you some tips to get through the season healthy and smart.
So what is happening during this year's flu season?
Because I've definitely heard people coughing and sneezing and wearing masks.
Well, see them wearing masks in the office.
Yes.
So it's not China.
Globally seasonal flu has been climbing in recent months, especially as winter arrives in the northern hemisphere.
So this year, doctors are keeping a close eye on a newer version of the AH3N2 flu virus, which has been continuously evolving over time.
And in China too, we have seen a rise in flu cases that is related to this particular virus as well.
So, according to the briefing from China's National Health Commission in early December, 17 provinces across China.
They're already at high flu circulation level and the rest are at a medium level.
And among those people who are showing flu-like symptoms who went to outpatient and emergency clinics, about 51 tested positive for flu.
And especially kids.
They are getting hit especially hard.
The positivity rate among 5 to 14-year-olds is much higher than other age groups.
Yep.
Tis that time of year, isn't it?
With the sniffles and the coughs.
Yeah, I'm in that group.
This is what happens, and I don't know if it happens every year, but it's happening now.
Fever clinics.
Fewer clinics, excuse me are being able to handle the online crowds who've decided to come into the clinic's to get their fevers checked.
If you walk into a clinic or have walked in recently, you may have seen long lines, packed waiting areas.
Tired parents, of course, who have brought their little ones, who aren't feeling so hot these days, all wrapped up in blankets.
Doctors, of course, therefore, are very busy as are nurses.
And when you go to some of these clinics, you're going to wait a lot longer than perhaps you would during other times, because it is the cold and flu season.
So this is what's turning a lot of people crazy, who perhaps thought oh, what I used to do online.
I'll just go into the clinic.
Now people are maybe seeing the clinics are too busy.
They're going back online.
And going online is resulting from a very interesting phenomenon.
That is now, with more and more people being aware of the health situation or the flu details in the country in this particular period.
They understand that people, different types of flu, different types of fever and also whether or not it is a common cold or a certain virus triggered flu, would require different treatment.
And if you can identify, diagnose yourself, faster you can get the treatment, get the designated medicine, so that you can, you can come back sooner.
And especially for those who have kids at home.
For example, if I cough, I would be quite nervous and want to know what it is, because I do not want to transmit it to my kids.
Yeah.
And on paper, it's a great idea because it's just so much more efficient, right?
If you can save yourself a trip to the clinic, because with people's busy schedules and children's schedules it's hard to find time sometimes to get to the clinic.
So the idea is it's meant to make things a lot more smooth in terms of figuring out who needs treatment and get it to them as quickly as possible.
Yeah, so what are these at-home testing options?
What are some things that I can choose from and how can I get these testing kits?
Yeah, two of China's biggest online platforms, Meituan and JD.
They both have launched such at home service.
So for take Meituan as an example, it has launched its at home testing service.
So basically, you can order the service either through its app or searching for at-home flu test through their WeChat mini program.
And once you place the order, a courier or a test collector will come at the door and they will show up with a test kit and you follow an instruction and take the sample.
And then they seal it and the collector takes the sample away to the hospital.
And then in about three hours you get a detailed report showing whether you have these common viruses or bacterias tested.
And then you can just decide what kind of flu you have.
So it's not a test paper that I do it at home.
It's someone coming to me, getting my sample and going to the hospital.
Yes, exactly.
Yeah.
And then they will know within three hours.
So that's the Meituan one. then JD Health, they have what they call their nurse at home service.
Even better.
Yeah.
And this one links the platform to public hospitals.
So you can book a licensed nurse to visit your home, again, to collect your sample.
And then the nurse sends it directly to a hospital lab.
And then the results are issued, just like a standard hospital test, as if you had gone to the hospital yourself.
And on average the entire process from ordering to getting the report again.
It takes about three hours or so to get that.
Yeah.
And once you are diagnosed, and then you can ask online doctors who can prescribe medication and then have these medication delivered to your door.
So that's very convenient and quick.
In December, actually, Beijing's hospital called the Ditan Hospital, it collaborated with JD
And it became the city's first hospital to launch such a home-based diagnosis network for these respiratory infectious diseases.
And it can cover most of central Beijing.
So if you're living in central Beijing, you can have this online order and then nurse coming to your home and pick the sample and then have this rapid sample testing at the hospital and you get the online report and they have this remote doctor diagnosis and delivery of your medication.
So that's a whole circle.
It's a full loop, yeah.
Yeah, so instead of going to the hospital, I can take a tiny little part of the hospital to my home.
In a sense, yes.
But can I trust all of the operators, the people coming to my home?
Are they qualified to do these things?
Because some of the services, they are collaborating with the local hospitals, so yeah.
I think to the most extent, you can trust the results.
Yeah, and if you're having an appointment online with a doctor, that's an actual doctor, not someone who hopes to be a doctor one day.
And then the collectors, they're just coming to collect your your samples or their actual nurses.
This is beneficial for people because it removes them from the hospitals, and that's a good idea because For the hospitals as well.
Well yeah, good for the hospitals because there's fewer patients there, not so busy for the doctors and nurses.
But also for people you know, if you're feeling a little under the weather and then you walk into a hospital, as you do, and there's, you know, hundreds of other people there who are feeling the same way.
And if they're sick, then they're spreading viruses to each other.
So it's just better if you can get it done at home.
And if I'm really still worrying, I would see whether or not these kind of hospitals or public health systems have been in line with the First, the National Standards for At-Home Medical Test Delivery Services, which was released in 2024.
If they are in line with these regulations and these standards, I would trust that they're doing these tests safely and accurately.
But does that mean I do not have to visit the hospital at all, even if I am having a flu, where I can just totally trust the result?
If I get the result negatively, I would think I don't have that kind of flu.
Remember one minute and 30 seconds ago when I said on paper this is a perfect system in a vacuum.
But Not everything is perfect.
We have to take some things into account.
First of all, timing is really important.
So if you test too early like, for example, on day one of your symptoms, then the virus level during your test or when you do your test it may be too low and that could result in a false negative.
But if I do it or if I go to a hospital too early, it's the same thing.
Fair enough.
I think so.
I suppose.
But at least you have the face-to-face interaction with the doctor.
The doctor would give me better advice.
Yeah, and the doctor can see you.
The doctor can see your symptoms, you know, so to speak.
Otherwise, it's a person in a lab simply taking your sample.
So, speaking of the sample, so if you don't do the swab correctly, there's a way that you're supposed to do it right.
If it's not deep enough, for example, you might not actually collect the virus.
Again, false negative.
And then also, you know, viruses change with mixed and there are mixed infections, too.
So there are different viruses that can show up at the same time and that can complicate the interpretation.
And then there's a transportation.
If you don't have it sealed properly, it might become contaminated.
There's things what I'm saying is there are things that can go wrong.
So it's not 100 guaranteed that your result is 100 correct, but it's safe to say that the tests are an important screening tool for you to get an early detection, but they don't replace doctors or hospital diagnosis.
So if you have these symptoms going on for quite a while or they are very severe, then you should go to the hospital.
And what if I don't really have time?
I did it once and I feel like it, well, it's for me, it's kind of fine.
But what about some other people, relatively more vulnerable group?
Can I, for example, use this for my kid?
Yeah, you can.
But high risk groups like those over 65 this is according to the National Health Commission, by the way, not Dr Steve adults over 65, children under three, pregnant women, people who are suffering from obesity, those with chronic conditions.
They say don't wait and see.
Go to the hospital.
Makes a lot of sense.
They say the first 48 hours is the golden time for treatment.
So, yes, better go to the hospital and see the doctor.
As soon as possible, if you have these symptoms.
Yes.
And I just learned about this recently to those, especially to those who have young kids at home.
One thing you can do is to check the weekly release of the flu season situation, flu season kind of curve, whether or not it's due on rise or it is quietly going down.
It's like a weather report.
Yes, a little like that on China's CDC.
And what's important is that in that weekly report, not only can you check whether or not the flu is going away or getting more serious, you can also see whether or not this batch of vaccine that is available in your neighborhood would work, would help.
I think the last time I checked it's more than 40 or 45 matching with the disease that are very popular in the neighborhood, which means if you get the vaccine it would definitely help you at least from going into a kind of states that are really serious caused by this flu.
And besides that you can also, if you're a relatively vulnerable group or have vulnerable group in your home.
You should do the prevention work a bit more carefully.
Wear a mask if your colleagues are coughing.
And what about the liquid mask?
Should I choose a liquid mask or some other type of mask?
What is a liquid mask?
Yeah, so first of all, liquid mask, it has gained popularity on e-commerce platforms.
So basically, it's a nasal spray or it's a gel like spray that you can spray into the nasal cavity and that can form a physical barrier or shield that can block viruses or infections, ultimately can reduce the chance of catching flu.
That's the theory.
So that's why people call it the invisible mask.
Yeah, it doesn't block your whole nose.
It's just the lining, your nasal lining.
Okay.
Yeah, you're not shoving a wine cork up your nose.
I can still breathe.
Yes.
Just like the nasal spray, you use it for the allergies.
Yeah.
It's pretty much the same thing.
Yeah, yeah.
But they say that it creates this thin protective layer, film that stays being the keyword thin and also film being the keyword, because there's no reliable evidence that this actually works in terms of preventing the flu.
Doctors have pointed out that most of these are daily use products.
They're not rigorously tested medicines.
Their claims often come from lab tests, not from large real world clinical trials.
And in real noses Just like yours and mine, you breathe, you sneeze, you wipe.
That film, this is why I said that was important, that thin film can easily break.
Actually, I have seen a study recently published in a journal.
It's conducted by, I think, by researchers in the United States.
And they concluded that if you spray like the nasal spray for allergies during this flu season, it can still block the virus.
But the researchers also said the results are promising, but the study was fairly small.
So they have participants at about 200 people.
So the FDA has not approved these nasal spray to prevent any kind of infection or flu.
So they're encouraging people to actually use other preventive measures, such as vaccination and masking, instead of just relying on spray.
So, in short, at-home rapid tests are convenient, are fast, that are also trouble-avoiding.
But you should do it under certain conditions.
And liquid masks, maybe trust them a little less.
You're listening to Roundtable, coming up next at Happy Place.
Delivery delivery, delivery.
What is it?
Happiness from round table?
It's round table with new holland steve, hatherly and xinyu, and it's our weekly happy place.
So xinyu, what has made you happy?
Yeah, you guys know i am a badminton fan and usually i would watch games online, But last weekend I went to Hangzhou to watch the BWF World Tour Finals.
Yes, held in Hangzhou, which is located in East China's Zhejiang province.
So that was my first time watching the game in person.
That's pretty far away.
I think it takes about four hours, 30 minutes.
Let me repeat, that's pretty far away.
But That shows your love and dedication.
Yes, my dedication.
And I went there to cheer for the Chinese players.
And I was so happy to see my favorite player, who is Huang Dongping.
She's a mixed double player.
And the vibes were incredible.
It's bustling with a lot of badminton fans.
You have the same hobby and we are gathered together and we are engaged in various fun activities outside the court.
They have various activities for you to experience.
Like what?
Like you can play with one of the staffs on the court.
It's not the game court, but beside the venue.
And then if you win the step, then you can get a small prize or anything.
Fun activities like that.
And also, that was my first time getting so immersed by the atmosphere.
And I even cried for multiple times.
Because sometimes the players, you get to see their sports spirit.
They were very exhausted.
But still they did their best to win the game.
That's the spirit that touched me so much big difference between watching it on tv and watching it on spot.
Yes, so that immersiveness.
And also um, i got goosebumps when i saw this tense rallies going on, and i also was very impressed by how hangzhou was holding such a world-class games.
The venue was originally built for the 2022 asian games And then Hangzhou is still using that venue for other world-class badminton or basketball games.
So that's another thing that I was impressed by these cutting-edge facilities and also how the city is holding the games.
Did you enjoy Hangzhou for several days as well?
No, just for one night.
Still, you stayed there. enjoyed the food, I would assume, and also the games.
How did your favorite player do, by the way?
She won the champion.
Oh, wow!
She won the whole thing?
Yeah.
So I think that's why people say a lot of cities are trying to develop their sports plus economy.
That's because the charm is definitely there.
You go see the game.
And for Xinyu's case, she's a very busy lady and she comes back for work.
But for some other people they might take the opportunity to also enjoy the city.
Have a tour a little bit, go to the famous destinations, the West Lake and everywhere.
And that would... give them or give the city an opportunity to show off their charm as well.
Was that your first time there?
Hangzhou?
No, it's my second time.
Okay.
Yeah, no, I've never been, but I've heard nice things about it.
You should go one day.
Beautiful city.
Yes, it is a happy occasion.
And if you love something and if you want to enjoy it as well as much as Xinyu did, you should go and see the event and see or join the activity by yourself in person as well.
How about you, Steve?
This is going to sound really cheesy, I realize, before I say it.
But I'm from Canada.
I think everybody knows that now.
And in Canada, Christmas is really celebrated.
It's one of the biggest events of the year, if you will, for whatever reason it is that you're celebrating.
It's a big family gathering occasion time, Christmas trees and decorations and Christmas music and things like that.
And here around where I live, if you go to a shopping mall or if you go to the downtown areas, you'll see places decorated and you'll hear Christmas music playing.
But just in the area where I live, not really any decorations on the street or festive music or anything like that.
So my wife and I, we spent Christmas at home this year and we decided to not go through the trouble of decorating the house like putting up some lights or some trees or something like that that we have done in the past.
But we just decided, let's have a nice meal together instead of going out.
So we made some steaks and some pasta.
And we had some cheesecake.
And I got some flowers for her that didn't bloom yet.
Didn't do that on purpose.
But anyway, here's my point.
We had an amazing meal.
We watched our favorite show together.
And we just spent it with each other.
And I realized that you don't really need to have all the decorations...
And the commercial side of Christmas that I grew up with to really enjoy it.
And I said to her, she said, oh, is this okay for Christmas?
Because, you know, you're Canadian.
And I said, this is completely fine.
I'm just with you.
And we're having a great time.
And that's all I need.
And that's the essence of Christmas different, all kinds of festivals to spend it with the people that you love.
Yeah, yeah, that's the point.
No matter if it's your friends, your spouse, your family.
Probably should have realized that a few years ago.
But, you know, better late than never, I suppose.
And I'm very glad it had a nice...
Nice festival time.
That steak was good too.
And that brings us to the end of today's Roundtable.
We'd love to hear your thoughts on today's topics.
Leave us a comment or send us an email to roundtablepodcast at qq.com.
I'm Niu Honglin with Steve and Xinyu.
We'll see you next time.
