Lagatar24 Desk
Beijing, Dec 13: Covid cases are rising in the Chinese capital as authorities rolled back more than two years of coronavirus controls, the officials said.
After widespread protests against the government’s strict ‘zero covid’ policies, authorities last week announced a dramatic loosening of requirements for testing, digital health passes, and tracking and quarantines. In the days since hospitals have reported a surge in patients while hundreds of medical staffers have contracted the virus.
Just a few days after China began loosening restrictions, Beijing authorities said more than 22,000 patients had visited hospitals across the city in the previous day, 16 times the number a week ago.
“The current trend of the rapid spread of the epidemic in Beijing still exists,” said city health commission spokesman Li Ang at a briefing.
China reported 8,626 domestic infections Monday but with testing no longer mandatory for much of the population the number is believed to be a lot higher.
As the country steers a tricky path out of its zero-Covid policy towards living with the virus, many with symptoms have opted to self-medicate at home.
Cold and fever medicines have sold out in virtually all pharmacies across Beijing, and rapid antigen tests are dwindling as people stock up in anticipation of a virus surge that threatens the lives of millions of unvaccinated elderly.
