Chinese with mild COVID are encouraged to go to work as restrictions are eased

Some local governments in China have encouraged people with mild COVID-19 cases to return to work this week, another sign that the country is struggling as the cancellation of virus containment measures caused the virus. a wave of infections — and an increasing number of deaths.

Health authorities reported on Tuesday that five people had died in the latest 24-hour period, all in Beijing, raising fears that the number could rise sharply after the lifting of most end of the “COVID-free” restrictions. The official number may be lower than the actual number, and it is not clear how the spread of the virus will take place in China and whether health care system can handle a nationwide spike in cases.

The city of Guiyang in the southern province of Guizhou proposed that infected people with few or no symptoms still go to work in many fields, including government offices, public companies, medical, health and Emergency workers and those in courier and supermarket.

That’s a big change from just a few weeks ago, when China’s policy was to isolate anyone infected in a hospital or government-run facility. Tuesday’s announcement follows similar announcements from the Wuhu cities in Anhui and Chongqing provinces earlier this week. The moves appear to be in response to worker shortages that have affected healthcare and food delivery.

They also reflect the difficulties officials have had in trying to revive an economy that has been gripped by pandemic restrictions that, now lifted, are being slowed by people. sick workers.

China has long praised its restrictive “no COVID” approach to lockdowns, quarantines and mandatory testing to keep the number of infections and deaths relatively low. However, the policy has placed Chinese society and the National economy was under heavy stress and sparked rare anti-government protests, apparently convincing the ruling Communist Party heed outside advice and change its strategy.

Now, unofficial reports indicate a widespread wave of new coronavirus infections, and the victims’ relatives and people working in the funeral industry say the deaths are related to the virus. to COVID-19 is increasing.

Wang Guangfa, a doctor from the Respiratory Department of Peking University No. 1 Hospital, warned Beijing would see a peak of severe cases in the next week or two.

“The current wave of infections is like an epidemic tsunami,” he said in a Q&A published online this week. He also said northern China will have a higher rate of severe infections than the south because of the cold weather.

Usually, cases of severe illness and death Dr Gagandeep Kang, who studies viruses at the Christian Medical College in Vellore, India, said the majority will be in the elderly or those who have not yet received a booster vaccine.

China, although fully vaccinated for 90.3% of the population, has only re-vaccinated 60.5%. Kang said China should prioritize the supply of boosters, especially to people over 60 years old, to avoid large numbers of people being killed.

The National Health Commission says five new deaths have brought the country’s total to 5,242 — relatively low by global standards but likely to increase significantly following the actions of the National Health Commission. government’s move to abandon the “no COVID” policy.

With those currently testing and recovering at home, China says it can no longer accurately count the number of new cases, making it difficult to assess the status of the current wave of infections and its direction. much more difficult. Some scientific models have estimated the number to rise with the eventual death toll in the tens or hundreds of thousands.

China is trying convince the reluctant elder and others at risk of vaccination, seems to have had only moderate success. Vaccination centers visited in recent days were mostly empty and there were no major promotional efforts in the completely state-controlled media.

Another major concern is ramping up health resources in smaller cities and the vast rural hinterland ahead of the Lunar New Year tourism peak in January. migrant workers return to their homeland.

The number of fever clinics has been expanded in both urban and rural areas and people are asked to stay home unless seriously ill to conserve resources. Hospitals are also understaffed, and reports say staff have been asked to return to work as long as they don’t have a fever.

The number of cases and deaths in every country is believed to underestimate the true toll of the virus, but there are particular concerns in China. Chinese people Health authorities Only those who die directly from COVID-19 are counted, excluding deaths from underlying conditions such as diabetes and heart disease that increase the risk of serious illness.

In many other countries, guidelines state that any coronavirus death that is a factor or contributor is considered COVID-19 related.

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