China’s COVID-killing machine craze

Consumer crazes come and go in China, and as the number of yángrén 阳人 (literally “positive people,” a phrase for those who have had COVID) rises inexorably, COVID has served up a whole heap of them.

There was a lemon craze a few weeks ago, which followed a peach mania after a rumor appeared online that canned yellow peaches could alleviate COVID symptoms, and some companies are selling antiviral clothing. Other COVID-inspired buying crazes included electrolyte water and diosmectite powder (蒙脱石散), a diarrhea treatment.

Alleged COVID killers

An endless stream of antiviral products and appliances marketed as “COVID killers” (杀灭新冠 shāmiè xīnguān) have appeared since 2020 on Chinese ecommerce platforms. Most have questionable efficiency and no official certification. In December 2022, Beijing Youth Daily investigated some of these products, and warned readers to “beware of potential safety hazards when buying hyped antiviral products,” which included:

• COVID-killing face masks (28 yuan/$4.12 for a box of 10).
• Antiviral cards and stickers that can be carried on the person, containing a powder that can “purify the air” with the main active ingredient of chlorine dioxide. (Considering that chlorine dioxide can only be effective in an aqueous solution, the efficacy of this product is highly questionable.)
• Handheld “blue light” disinfecting spray guns (average price of less than 100 yuan/$14.75).
• Ultraviolet germicidal lamps.

Air purifiers and sterilizers

There are some products that are based on more rigorous science: Air purifiers and sterilizers are used to remove fine air pollution particles and viruses from the air.

Air purifiers are not subject to regulation in China but sterilizers have to obtain a production license and adhere to certain standards. However, whether or not air sterilizers are actually able to kill COVID is a hot topic on Chinese social media. Both purifiers and sterilizers have seen high sales ever since the epidemic commenced in 2020.

Some of China’s largest electronic appliance companies, including Gree 格力 and Midea 美的集团, have released COVID-killing purifiers and sterilizers. In 2020, Gree launched its Hunter (Lièshǒu 猎手) series of air purifiers, which the company claims can kill 99% of COVID in the air within one hour. In July 2022, Midea launched its Proctecter [sic] (净击者 Jìngjīzhě) air purifier, although the company has provided some mixed messaging on whether it can actually kill COVID.

COVID killing refrigerators

In 2020, Ronshen 容声, a brand under Qingdao-based white goods behemoth Hisense 海信集团, launched a sterilization device for refrigerators that the company claimed is able to kill 99.9% of COVID viruses by releasing negative ions. In 2021, the technology was certified by the France-based Texcell, a contract research company that specializes in virus testing.

In early January 2022, Meiling 美菱, a label under Sichuan-based TV and consumer electronics group Changhong 长虹, launched what it claimed to be was the first COVID-killing refrigerator, priced at around 14,000 yuan ($2,062). According to Meiling, the refrigerator has been fully certified by a lab in Beijing, and can kill 99.9% of COVID within ten minutes.

The takeaway

The pandemic has inspired a wide range of treatment remedies and disinfection devices and goods, ranging from crackpot cards and stickers to refrigerators that have been fully certified. But as fear of COVID wanes, the market for these products will shrink.