China announced the first new death from COVID-19 in nearly six months on Sunday as new measures were imposed in Beijing and across the country to prevent further outbreaks.
The death of an 87-year-old man in Beijing was the first reported by the National Health Commission since May 26, bringing the country’s death toll to 5,227. The previous death was reported in Shanghai, which experienced a sharp spike in infections in the summer.
Although China has a vaccination rate of over 92% with at least one dose, the figure is significantly lower among the elderly, especially those over 80 years old. The Commission did not provide details on whether the deceased was vaccinated.
This vulnerability is believed to be one of the reasons China has maintained restrictions on its borders and is sticking to its strict “zero COVID” policy, which aims to eradicate the contagion through quarantines, lockdowns, contact tracing and mass testing. , despite the impact on daily life and the economy and the growing public discontent with the authorities.
In a partial response, the central city of Zhengzhou said on Sunday it would no longer require a negative COVID-19 test for children under the age of 3 or other “special groups” requiring medical treatment.
The announcement by the Zhengzhou municipal government came after the death of a second child was attributed to the over-enforcement of anti-virus measures. The 4-month-old died after suffering from vomiting and diarrhea while she was quarantined at a hotel in Zhengzhou.
It reportedly took her father 11 hours to get medical attention after medical staff refused to help, and she was eventually sent to a hospital 100 kilometers (60 mi) away. People have expressed their outrage online at the “zero COVID” measures and demanded that Zhengzhou authorities be punished for failing to help the people.
The case follows an earlier scandal over the death of a three-year-old boy from carbon monoxide poisoning in the Northwest. His father blamed health workers in Lanzhou City, who he said tried to stop him from taking his son to the hospital.
Other cases that have sparked outrage include a pregnant woman who miscarried after being denied access to a hospital in the northwestern city of Xi’am and forced to sit outside in the cold for hours.
The Communist Party, which governs the country, promised last week, as it has after each of those cases, that emergency treatment would not be denied to people in quarantine or who could not show a negative result.
However, the party has often been unable to control the harsh and often unauthorized measures imposed by local officials who fear losing their jobs or facing prosecution in the event of outbreaks under their jurisdiction.
Nearly three years after the pandemic began, the rest of the world has largely reopened and the impact on the Chinese economy is growing. Beijing has kept its borders practically closed and advises against travel even within the country.
In the capital Beijing, people have been told not to move between city neighborhoods and many restaurants, shops, malls, office buildings and apartment buildings have been closed or cordoned off.
China reported 24,215 new cases on Sunday, the vast majority asymptomatic.
