China says it is ‘impossible’ to track the spread of Covid as virus surges | Coronavirus pandemic news

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China’s National Health Commission lowered its daily COVID-19 report in response to a sharp drop in PCR testing since the government eased anti-virus measures after daily cases hit record levels.

A notice on the UNHCR website on Wednesday said it had stopped publishing daily figures for the numbers of COVID-19 cases in which no symptoms were detected.

She said it was “impossible to understand precisely the actual number of asymptomatic infected people,” who generally account for the vast majority of new infections. The only numbers they report are confirmed cases detected at public testing facilities.

This poses a major challenge for China as it relaxes its strict “zero COVID” policy. With universal PCR testing no longer mandatory and people with mild symptoms allowed to recover at home rather than in a field hospital notoriously overcrowded and poorly cleaned, it has become difficult to gauge the true number of cases.

Beijing’s streets have become eerily quiet, with lines forming outside fever clinics — their number has increased from 94 to 303 — and at pharmacies, where cold and flu medicines are hard to find.

Although authorities said they were providing millions of COVID-19 antigen rapid test kits to Beijing pharmacies, they were still hard to come by.

A Beijing resident surnamed Zhou told the Associated Press news agency that they developed a sore throat and a fever but were unable to confirm whether they had the coronavirus due to a lack of antigen test kits.

“Beijing is really confused at the moment,” Zhou said, declining to reveal his full name to address what could be considered a sensitive topic in China. “They made a full 180-degree turn without going through a transition period.”

Despite pressure to step up vaccinations among the elderly, two centers have been set up in Beijing to administer vaccines, but they were empty on Tuesday except for medical personnel. Amid fears of a massive outbreak, there was little evidence of an increase in sick numbers.

A line of about 50 people stretched outside the door of a Puren fever clinic in Beijing on Wednesday, where several residents told AFP they had contracted COVID-19.

Basically, if we’re lining up here, we’re all infected. “We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for us,” said one of the people waiting in line.

“I’m here with a senior member of my family, he’s had a fever for almost 10 days in a row now, so we’re coming over to check him up.”

Inquiries to health hotlines have increased sixfold, according to state media.

Not counting asymptomatic cases, China reported 2,249 “confirmed” infections on Wednesday, bringing the country’s total number of infections to 369,918 – more than double the level recorded on October 1. And it recorded 5,235 deaths — compared to 1.1 million in the United States.

The figures provided by the Chinese government have not been independently verified, and questions have been raised about whether the Communist Party sought to reduce the number of cases and deaths.

Since Tuesday, US consulates in the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang and the central Chinese city of Wuhan have been providing emergency services only “in response to an increasing number of COVID-19 cases,” the State Department said.

President Xi Jinping’s government remains officially committed to halting transmission of the virus. But recent moves suggest the government will tolerate more cases without quarantining or shutting down travel or businesses as it winds down its “No COVID” strategy.

Despite the relaxed rules, restaurants were mostly closed or empty in Beijing. Many companies are having difficulty finding enough employees who have not been infected. Sanlitun, one of the capital’s most popular shopping districts, was deserted despite the removal of anti-COVID-19 fences in recent days.

Reportedly, hospitals were also struggling to stay staffed, while packages were piling up at distribution points due to the ubiquitous shortage of tricycle delivery drivers in China.

Some Chinese universities say they will allow students to finish term from home in hopes of reducing the possibility of further COVID-19 outbreaks during the Lunar New Year travel rush in January.

Starting Tuesday, China also stopped tracking some flights, which could reduce the likelihood of people being forced into quarantine to visit COVID-19 hotspots. China’s international borders remain largely closed and there has been no word on when restrictions will be eased for inbound and Chinese travelers wishing to travel abroad.

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