COVID accelerated spread in China after lifting of restrictions
2023.01.04 08:56
COVID accelerated spread in China after lifting of restrictions
Budrigannews.com – As health officials abroad attempted to determine the scope of the raging outbreak and determine how to stop it from spreading, China’s state media rallied citizens in support of a “final victory” over COVID-19.
After being protected since the virus first appeared in the Chinese city of Wuhan three years ago, Beijing’s sudden removal of “zero COVID” restrictions last month has unleashed the virus on China’s 1.4 billion inhabitants, who have little immunity.
On Wednesday, the World Health Organization holds a briefing in Geneva, a day after WHO officials met with Chinese scientists to discuss concerns regarding the reliability of China’s outbreak data. The details of its talks have not yet been made public by the UN agency.
Additionally, health officials from the European Union will meet on Wednesday to discuss a coordinated response to the outbreak in China.
International medical professionals anticipate at least one million deaths in China this year, and numerous Chinese funeral homes and hospitals report being overwhelmed. Since the policy change, China has reported five or fewer deaths per day.
Zhang, 66, a Beijing resident who used only his last name, commented on the official toll, “That is totally ridiculous.”
“I lost four close relatives. That comes from a single family. I hope the government will tell the truth about what really happened here to the people and the rest of the world.
China’s bureau said on Wednesday it would move forward medication dissemination and satisfy need from clinical organizations, nursing homes and country regions in the midst of the episode, state media detailed.
In response to criticism of China’s three years of isolation, lockdowns, and testing that led to historic protests at the end of last year, the Communist Party’s official newspaper, the People’s Daily, stated in an editorial that “China and the Chinese people will surely win the final victory against the epidemic.”
Beijing has reacted angrily to some nations’ demands that visitors from China submit to pre-departure COVID tests, claiming that the regulations were unreasonable and lacked a scientific foundation.
These tests are required in Japan, the United States, Australia, and a few European states.
The head of the largest airline association in the world, IATA, Willie Walsh, criticized “knee-jerk” measures that, he claimed, had not previously stopped the virus’s spread to airlines still recovering from the pandemic.
On January 8, China will no longer require travelers to enter a quarantine, but they will still need to be tested prior to their arrival.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has requested information from Chinese scientists regarding vaccinations, viral sequencing, and hospitalizations, deaths, and deaths. Since Beijing’s policy change, Reuters reported last month that the WHO had not received any new hospital admission data.
Tuesday’s five new COVID deaths in China brought the official death toll to 5,258, a low number by global standards.
According to Airfinity, a British company that provides health data, approximately 9,000 people probably die from COVID each day in China.
On Tuesday, many elderly patients at Shanghai’s Zhongshan hospital were crammed into hallways between makeshift beds, many of whom were using oxygen ventilators and intravenous drips.
On Wednesday, seven hearses were counted by a Reuters witness in the parking lot of Shanghai’s Tongji hospital. At least 18 yellow bags used to transport bodies were seen being carried by workers.
Due to the COVID outbreak, China’s $17 trillion economy has grown at its slowest rate in nearly 50 years.
However, Finance Minister Liu Kun’s promise to accelerate fiscal expansion on Wednesday pushed the yuan to a four-month high against the dollar. Support has also been mentioned by the central bank.
Analysts at UBS anticipate that China’s swift reopening will result in “a deeper but shorter setback” to the economy, but that activity will resume in February.
China Daily, citing Trip.com data, reported that international flight bookings in China have increased 145% year-over-year in recent days.
There are still fewer flights to and from China than there were before COVID. However, there are already indications that an increase in Chinese travel could cause issues abroad.
South Korea, which started testing explorers from China on Monday, expressed in excess of a fifth of experimental outcomes were positive.
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