We don’t know about it having a worse effect on people, but it’s just more transmissible, and china does have a lack of exposure and lack of immunity
If covid continues to mutate as the rest of the world keeps getting infected then China will keep having to have more aggressive and longer lockdowns. Everywhere else is slowly building natural immunity.
So they will have to keep doubling down until more people die of starvation or a reaction to a mental health challenge