State media reported on Sunday that one of China’s top health specialists has warned of an increase in Covid-19 infections following the government’s decision to abandon its harsh coronavirus stance.
As a result of the decision to restrict the scope of mandated testing, allow some positive people to quarantine at home, and cease large-scale lockdowns, shops and restaurants in Beijing are deserted as the nation anticipates a spike in infections.
In an interview with state media broadcast on Sunday, eminent epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan stated that the Omicron strain of the virus circulating in China was highly transmissible and might lead to an increase in cases.
“The [present] Omicron mutation… is extremely infectious… One individual can infect 22 others, according to Zhong, a senior government advisor throughout the outbreak.
Currently, the pandemic in China is… expanding rapidly; therefore, regardless of how effective the preventative and control measures are, it will be difficult to entirely sever the transmission chain.
The loosening of China’s so-called “zero-Covid” policy was in response to countrywide protests against the country’s stringent virus regulations, which had devastated the economy and kept millions in their homes.
Millions of elderly are still unvaccinated, and impoverished institutions cannot treat a large number of patients. However, the country is now facing a surge of cases that it is ill-equipped to handle.
The country lacks one intensive care unit bed for 10,000 people, Jiao Yahui, director of the Department of Medical Affairs at the National Health Commission, warned on Friday.
She said 106,000 doctors and 177,700 nurses will be shifted to intensive care units to cope with the surge in coronavirus patients, but did not offer details on how this would affect the health system’s ability to handle other ailments.
“I’m terrified to go outside”
On Sunday, long lineups formed outside pharmacies in Beijing as citizens rushed to stockpile antigen test kits and cold and fever medications.
Some told AFP they were ordering medications from pharmacies in nearby cities.
“I’ve requested my family in Shijiazhuang to courier fever medicine because surrounding pharmacies don’t have stocks,” said Julie Jiang, a Beijing resident.
Dozens of eateries and other businesses in Beijing put up signs saying they were “temporarily closed”, without offering explanations.
Meituan, Fresh Hippo, and Ding Dong, among other big online grocery and food delivery platforms, struggled to operate in Beijing due to a lack of delivery drivers.
“I’m terrified to venture out,” said Liu Cheng, a mother of two young children residing in central Beijing’s Jianguomen district.
“Many of my acquaintances with Covid symptoms have tested positive while self-testing, but they haven’t reported this to the authorities or gone to the hospital.”
As a result of the Chinese government’s decision to eliminate routine mass testing, official caseloads have decreased significantly, with only healthcare workers and delivery drivers exempt from the requirements.
