The abrupt easing of the corona measures by the Chinese government is leaving a clear mark: the queues in front of Beijing pharmacies are long. At the same time, tracking new infections no longer works because many people without symptoms can no longer be tested.
A week after the relaxation of the strict corona policy in China, the country’s authorities are no longer able to closely monitor the spread of the virus. The true number of infections can no longer be specified, said the national health authority. “Many asymptomatic people no longer do PCR tests, so it is impossible to accurately state the current number of asymptomatic infected people.”
According to media reports, Vice Prime Minister Sun Chunlan stated that the number of infections in the capital Beijing was “increasing rapidly”. In view of this, many people are stocking up on medicines, online networks are reporting about sold-out medicines and long queues in front of pharmacies in the capital.
According to Chunlan, the government called for a “smooth transition” from previous prevention against the virus to the medical treatment of those infected that is now necessary, it said. Better medical treatment and supply of drugs was promised.
After nationwide protests and a slump in foreign trade in November, the People’s Republic began moving away from its strict zero-Covid policy a week ago. Across the country, quarantine rules and testing requirements were initially relaxed or even abolished and the mass closures ended. On Monday, the authorities also announced the end of the state Corona app, which severely restricted people’s freedom of movement for two and a half years.
The Chinese leadership’s abrupt about-face means the country will now face a wave of coronavirus cases for which it is ill-prepared: millions of elderly people are still not fully vaccinated, and underfunded hospitals lack the capacity to catch one accommodate large numbers of patients.
