Recent reports coming out of China have reported that the country is setting up new intensive care facilities to tackle the rising cases of COVID-19. The recent surge in Covid cases is as China began relaxing its strict “zero COVID policy” following nationwide protests across the country.
What they are saying
A Chinese epidemiologist, Zhong Nanshan, said in an interview according to Reuters that “hundreds of thousands or tens of thousands of people are infected in several major cities.”
- AP reports that last week, Chinese officials urged a “full mobilization of hospitals” and an increase in their numbers of medical staff to respond to the crisis.
State of play
The Chinese government relaxed its “zero Covid policy” bringing gradual changes to the country’s fight against the covid-19 virus including halting the use of a smartphone app to trace and record residents travel history, three years of lockdowns, travel restrictions and quarantines on residents moving between provinces and cities, mandatory testing, etc.
China has also started allowing those with mild symptoms to heal at home rather than being transferred to field hospitals that have reportedly become overcrowded and with little to no hygiene.
The big picture
On one hand, relaxing the zero Covid policy has spiked the number of cases. On the other hand, the zero covid policy enforced some of the world’s strictest preventive measures that some people claimed is a violation of their human rights.
In case you missed it
Chinese protesters pulled off the largest protests since Tiananmen in 1989 late last month to demand an end to the pandemic policy.