As the United States warned that Beijing’s unexpected choice to let the virus run free was a danger for the entire world, cities throughout China hurried to put in hospital beds and construct fever screening facilities on Tuesday.
Following demonstrations against restrictions that had mostly kept the virus at bay for three years but at substantial costs to society and the world’s second-largest economy, China last month abruptly began removing its strict zero-COVID policy of widespread lockdowns.
China’s Worsening COVID-19 Cases
Following two deaths attributed to COVID-19 on Monday, the first deaths to be recorded in weeks, Beijing confirmed five COVID-19, related deaths on Tuesday.
Since the Pandemic began in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019, China has only reported a total of 5,242 COVID-19 fatalities, a very low toll by international standards.
But since China dropped limits including most mandatory testing on December 7, there are growing concerns that the data do not accurately reflect the effect of a disease ravaging communities.
Since then, as many have stayed at home out of sickness or fear of contracting the disease, certain hospitals have been overrun, pharmacies have run out of medications, and the streets have been unusually silent.
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COVID-Related Death Toll Expected To Surge in China
According to some health experts, over 2 million people might die and 60% of China’s population, or 10% of the world’s population, could become infected in the upcoming months.
Security guards kept watching at the door of an authorized COVID-19 crematorium in Beijing’s capital, where Reuters journalists observed a long line of hearses and individuals carrying the deceased inside on Saturday.
China recorded five additional COVID-19 deaths on December 19, up from two the day before, bringing the total number of fatalities in the country to 5,242, according to Tuesday’s National Health Commission report.
On December 19, the nation recorded 2,722 new symptomatic COVID-19 infections, up from 1,995 the previous day. China reported 2,656 new local cases, up from 1,918 a day earlier, after excluding imported illnesses.
As of December 19, mainland China had been confirmed to have 383,175 patients with symptoms.