Chinese state media seeks to reassure the public about COVID-19

WUHAN, Jan 1 (Reuters) – Thousands of Chinese took to the streets to mark the New Year as authorities and state media sought to reassure the public that the sweeping COVID-19 outbreak the country was under control and approaching its peak.

Although many people in major cities continued to self-isolate as the virus spread through the population, New Year’s celebrations seemed to be mostly unchanged as people celebrated the end of 2022 and the shift to 2023.

In Wuhan, where the coronavirus was first identified in late 2019, residents said concerns about the impact of easing strict zero COVID restrictions on living with the disease have now eased – at least for young and healthy people.

“Basically now my friends and I are feeling relatively positive and optimistic,” said a 29-year-old guardian surnamed Wu. “A lot of people are going out and walking around.”

“We all know that especially for the middle aged and the elderly, especially those over 60, especially those with underlying conditions, they will be affected by this virus,” he said. -he declares.

A long line of people lined up at the emergency department of Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, a major facility for COVID-19 patients, like Huang, a 72-year-old resident, who wanted to be identified only by her first name. family.

“I don’t feel well. I have no energy. I can’t breathe. I was in good health. I had x-rays to check my lungs… This hospital is very difficult, it have to wait a long time,” she said.

DATA UNDER CONTROL

China’s abrupt U-turn on COVID controls — as well as the accuracy of its case and mortality data — have come under increasing scrutiny both at home and abroad.

The surge in cases has raised new concerns about the health of the economy and in his first public comments since the policy change, President Xi Jinping called in a New Year speech for more effort and unity as China enters a “new phase”.

China reported one new death related to COVID-19 in the mainland on December 21. 31, the same as the day before, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Sunday.

China’s official cumulative death toll now stands at 5,249, well below that of other major countries. The government has dismissed claims that it deliberately underreported the total number of deaths.

At the Hankou funeral home on the outskirts of Wuhan, an intermittent stream of mourners and hearse drivers were arriving on Sunday.

Staff at the heavily guarded entrance to the site refused to answer questions about their recent workload. But undertakers in other cities across China – including Chengdu and Beijing – said they were busier than ever since China abruptly dropped its COVID restrictions last month.

China’s CDC reported 5,138 official confirmed cases on Saturday, but with mass testing no longer in effect, experts say the true number of infections is significantly higher.

State media in the southeast Chinese city of Guangzhou said on Sunday that daily cases had recently peaked at around 60,000 and now stand at around 19,000.

Authorities have tried to reassure the public that they have the situation under control, and state news agency Xinhua published an op-ed on Sunday saying the current strategy was “a planned and science-based approach” reflecting the changing nature of the virus.

COMFORT

Xinhua said separately that drug manufacturing has accelerated over the past month, with production of the painkillers ibuprofen and paracetamol now reaching 190 million tablets a day, five times more than in early December.

Production of antigen test kits nearly doubled to 110 million a day in a month, he said.

On Sunday, Australia and Canada joined the United States and others in requiring travelers from China to provide negative COVID-19 tests upon arrival. Morocco will impose a ban on people arriving from China, its foreign ministry has announced.

Australian Health Minister Mark Butler said additional measures would also be considered amid fears China was not disclosing enough information about the nature and extent of the current outbreak.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen offered it on Sunday to provide china with “necessary assistance” to help it deal with the increase in COVID-19 cases.

Reporting by Martin Quin Pollard in Wuhan and David Stanway in Shanghai; Editing by Neil Fullick

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