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Your support makes all the difference.Covid-19 infections in China are spiking just a week after the Xi Jinping administration watered down the lockdown curbs, even as Beijing announced it will stop tracking asymptomatic cases.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that the country is faced with “very tough and difficult” times ahead amid reports of China’s health infrastructure crumbling under the rising tally of seriously ill patients.
“It’s always very difficult for any country coming out of a situation where you’ve had very, very tight controls,” WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris said in Geneva on Tuesday, adding that the country, with its zero-Covid policy spanning more than two years, is up against a difficult time ahead.
On Tuesday, China saw 2,291 new symptomatic Covid cases, slightly lower than the 2,315 cases reported a day earlier, its national health commission said.
It last recorded China’s asymptomatic infections on Monday with 5,346 fresh cases in a separate count.
From Wednesday on, the health body said it will stop counting China’s asymptomatic infections as many without symptoms are not turning up for tests, a restriction Chinese authorities removed after facing protests from thousands of nationals last month.
The true scale of Covid infections in the country still reeling heavily under the pandemic is now “impossible” to track, the commission said.
But the situation has worsened in Beijing where hospitals recorded 50 severe and critical cases late Tuesday, reported Xinhua news agency, sparking fears that a new wave of infections could be underway.
The last death was recorded on 3 December in China.
“This is the price we pay for being freer,” said a woman surnamed Liu in Beijing.
The 26-year-old said that “it is essential that we improve our awareness in self-protection. I think now the risk depends on individuals”.
Millions breathed a sigh of relief earlier this month after the Xi administration loosened zero-Covid curbs, allowing people to step out after months of quarantine rules.
However, with the cities opening up, the fears of the authorities have come true as long queues outside fever clinics have become a common sight in Beijing and other cities in recent days.
At least seven schools in Shanghai have refused to hold in-person classes, and sent the proceedings online amid a rise in cases in the most populous city.
With the start of holiday and homecoming season, China could see a spike in infections across the country with many returning to their hometowns and villages.
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