70% of Shanghai’s population is infected COVID-19. So said the head physician of one of the best hospitals in the metropolis. The news comes amid a huge surge in coronavirus cases in China, state media reported.
The sharp rise in the number of infections came after strict restrictions were suddenly eased last month without warning or preparation and quickly overwhelmed hospitals and crematoria.
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Chen Erzhen, vice president of Ruijing Hospital and member of the Shanghai COVID expert advisory group estimated it most of the city’s 25 million residents could be infected.
“Now the spread of the epidemic in Shanghai is very large and has reached 70 percent of the population, which is 20 to 30 times more than in April and May,” he told Dajiangdong Studio.
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Shanghai has undergone a grueling two-month lockdown since April, during which more than 600,000 residents have been infected and many have been taken to mass quarantine centers. Now, however, the Omicron variant is spreading out of control throughout the city, and experts predict infections will peak in early 2023.
In other major cities, including Beijing, Tianjin, Chongqing and Guangzhou, Chinese health officials suggest the surge has already peaked.
Chen added that his hospital in Shanghai sees 1,600 emergency patients a day – double the number before restrictions were lifted – with 80% of them suffering from COVID.
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“Every day more than 100 ambulances arrive at the hospital” he reportedly said, adding that about half of emergency hospitalizations are for vulnerable people over the age of 65.
Chinese authorities brace for virus surge, which will affect China’s under-resourced rural areas as millions of people prepare to travel to their hometowns for the week-long Lunar New Year holiday which begins on Jan. 21.
In an interview with state broadcaster CCTV on Monday, National Health Commission (NHC) official Jiao Yahui admitted that coping with the expected spike in rural areas would be a “major challenge.”
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“What worries us the most is this “In the past three years, no one has come home for the Lunar New Year, but this year they will finally be able to,” Jiao said.
“As a result, there may be a wave of urban residents returning to the countryside to visit relatives, so we are even more concerned about the epidemic in rural areas.”
He also admitted to pressure on hospital Emergency Departments and promised that authorities would coordinate medical resources to provide treatment for patients in underfunded areas.
Meanwhile, more than ten countries have imposed restrictions on COVID testing of travelers from China, after Beijing announced its borders would reopen from January 8. Countries, including the United States, have cited Beijing’s lack of transparency on infection data and the risk of new variants as reasons for the travel restrictions.
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Since December, China has recorded just 22 COVID deaths, and earlier this month it slashed the criteria for classifying such cases.
Today, however, Jiao told reporters that China has always released data “on COVID-19 deaths and serious cases in the spirit of openness and transparency.”
“China has always adhered to the scientific criteria for evaluating COVID-19 deaths, from beginning to end, which is in line with international criteria,” Jiao said.
