As a result, what is engraved in popular conceptions as solutions to COVID infections is not even pain-relieving and fever-reducing drugs such as ibuprofen and paracetamol, but rather Chinese medicine – especially Lianhua qingwen, a formulated traditional Chinese medicine that was promoted by the state since 2020. Paxlovid is almost impossible to get it in public hospitals. In mainland China, access to Paxlovid is subject to a selection process, as it is almost impossible to get it in public hospitals. A prestigious private hospital has a stock, but the chain only operates in first rank cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. On e-commerce websites, limited amounts were released on a daily basis, with consumers rushing for them. Many people only came to know the existence of COVID pills after this wave of infections. Now the hashtag #paxlovid has hit 10.35 million reads on Weibo (China's equivalent of Twitter), more and more Chinese are turning to social media seeking to purchase Paxlovid. With genuine drugs hard to come by, many people are turning their attention to Indian generic drugs. As the Chinese New Year came, the price of generic drugs once exceeded 3,000 RMB (about $440). Meanwhile, Pfizer's original drug’s price went over 10,000 RMB (about $1,470).