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China stops counting asymptomatic cases as Covid crisis deepens

China will stop releasing data on asymptomatic Covid-19 cases but speed up vaccinations as the world’s most populous country is hit by an uncontrolled coronavirus outbreak.

The National Health Commission on Wednesday said large numbers of asymptomatic patients were no longer participating in testing, making it difficult to provide accurate figures.

China significantly reduced testing requirements and closed testing facilities over the past two weeks. Before that, citizens had to check regularly to enter public transport, workplaces and most public spaces.

Decision to stop counting asymptomatic cases at the discretion of President Xi Jinping Turn on pandemic control after three years of non-stop blockade, mass testing, isolation and contact tracing. But analysts say the deepening ambiguity is just the latest evidence of Beijing’s inadequate preparation.

Health system experts also warn that the lack of accurate data on both the number of infections and deaths in China means that it is difficult to assess the speed of the disease’s spread in the economy. second largest in the world.

The official case count has become the target of public ridicule after falling from a high of nearly 40,000 in late November to around 7,500 on Tuesday. This is despite clear evidence that the outbreak is sweeping through cities.

Downtown Beijing on Wednesday was largely deserted, with office workers at home. Only the city’s popular delivery people are still plying the streets.

But there are signs that they are succumbing to Covid as online suppliers warn of delays or inability to deliver because of a lack of drivers.

The NHC reported only 2,249 cases of local transmission on Wednesday after the asymptomatic category was dropped.

Vaccination efforts almost 90 million elderly people in China are still not fully protected from viruses is on the rise, however.

The NHC says a second booster can be given six months after the first booster for people who are at higher risk of infection, have serious existing medical conditions, have weakened immune systems, or are over 60 years old. .

This decision follows forecasts that China risk of 1 million deaths in the coming months if it continues to lift anti-virus restrictions as well as warning from local officials that the country needs to accelerate the approval process of the updated spearheads.

More than half of Chinese over 60 years of age had received a booster shot before March of this year, increasing uncertainty about the effectiveness of the Chinese vaccine compared to the messenger RNA vaccine used in the West.

As the virus spreads, there is also doubt about whether China will use Xi Jinping’s three years of Covid-free policy to bolster the country’s healthcare system with enough care units. specialists and specialists to deal with a large number of patients with severe symptoms or not.

“Insufficient vaccination levels and inadequate health care resources mean China has embarked on an exit strategy,” said Xinran Andy Chen, an analyst at Chinese consulting firm Trivium. going back without a messy Covid, which would put a serious strain on the public health system and the economy.”

“We think things are going to get a lot worse before they get better.”

Swiss Re chief economist Jérôme Haegeli said that the reopening would be positive for long-term economic growth but there would be short-term uncertainty.

“With the rapid removal of Covid policies, it is almost like a kind of ‘reverse government shutdown’. It’s not the government that has to shut down, it’s everyone’s responsibility,” he said

“People will be more cautious because they haven’t been exposed to the virus to a similar extent before. So the scenario will be different for China.”

“Consumption growth and GDP will suffer, I can also imagine short-term deflation instead of inflation,” he added.

Additional reporting by Cheng Leng in Hong Kong and Joe Leahy in Beijing



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