BEIJING-UNS/AFP: One of China’s top health experts has warned of a surge in Covid-19 cases, state media said on Sunday, in the wake of the government’s decision to abandon its hardline coronavirus strategy.
Shops and restaurants in Beijing are deserted as the country awaits a spike in infections following the decision to reduce the scope of mandatory testing, allow some positive cases to quarantine at home and end large-scale lockdowns.
Top epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan told state media in an interview published on Sunday that the Omicron strain of the virus prevalent in China was highly transmissible and could lead to a surge in cases.
“The [current] Omicron mutation … is very contagious … one person can transmit to 22 people,” said Zhong — a leading adviser to the government throughout the pandemic.
“Currently, the epidemic in China is … spreading rapidly, and under such circumstances, no matter how strong the prevention and control is, it will be difficult to completely cut off the transmission chain.”
The easing of China’s so-called “zero-Covid” policy followed nationwide protests against harsh virus rules that had battered the economy and confined millions to their homes.
But the country is now facing a surge of cases it is ill-prepared to handle, with millions of elderly still not fully vaccinated and underfunded hospitals lacking the capacity to take on huge numbers of patients.
The country has 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 redirected to intensive care units to cope with the spike in coronavirus patients, but did not offer details on how this would affect the health system’s ability to treat other diseases.
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