China - Media: "Shanghai hospital estimates more than five million people in the city already have COVID, with cases set to rocket.." - December 22, 2

[sharon sanders]

Pro-west source.


COVID in China: Half of Shanghai's population of 25 million 'could be infected by end of next week'


A Shanghai hospital estimates more than five million people in the city already have COVID, with cases set to rocket after pandemic restrictions were abruptly rolled back a fortnight ago.

Thursday 22 December 2022 12:39, UK


A Shanghai hospital has told its staff to prepare for a "tragic battle" with COVID-19 as it expects half of the city's 25 million people will get infected by the end of next week.

It is two weeks since most zero-COVID restrictions were suddenly reversed in China, leaving the virus to sweep through the country largely unchecked.

The Shanghai Deji Hospital, posting on its official WeChat account late on Wednesday, estimated there were about 5.43 million positive cases in the city and predicted 12.5 million will get infected by the end of the year.

more...

https://news.sky.com/story/covid-in...ould-be-infected-by-end-of-next-week-12773063

 

[etudiant]

It seems that China has now chosen to follow the Swedish model, no lockdowns, let the virus propagate, while trying to limit the disease impact.
Given that the danger is acute primarily for the oldest, perhaps the leadership sees that as less damaging than strangling the economy with continued lockdowns.
That assumes that there is no systemic collapse of parts of the overtaxed health care system in the adjustment.

 

[Mary Wilson]

Chinese cities give out free fever drugs as COVID flares
By Syndicated Content

Dec 21, 2022 | 10:39 PM

By Bernard Orr and Zoey Zhang

BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Cities in China began distributing free anti-fever drugs to the public, as COVID-19 sweeps through the world’s most populous country largely unchecked for the first time after an abrupt shift in the country’s containment policies.

... China reported no new COVID deaths for a second consecutive day for Dec. 21, even as funeral parlour workers say demand and waiting time for their services has gone up in the past week, pushing fees higher. The country confirmed 389,306 cases with symptoms as of Tuesday.

But experts say official figures have become an unreliable guide as less testing is being done across China following the recent easing of restrictions.

... State media said local governments were taking steps to address drug shortages, while pharmaceutical companies were working extra-time to boost supplies.

Dongguan, a sprawling city in southern China, said a total of 100,000 ibuprofen tablets had arrived in the city, and will be distributed to 41 state drug stores this week, before being made available for free, the Global Times reported.

In Wuhan, the central city where the virus was first discovered in late 2019, 3 million ibuprofen tablets have been supplied to medical institutions and retail pharmacies each day since Dec. 17, the report said.

Authorities in Sanya on the southern Hainan island have lined up 18 pharmacies to distribute free drugs. Pharmacies in Zhoukou are giving as many as 10 free tablets a day to residents who present an ID card.

Shenzhen, China’s major tech hub north of Hong Kong, said on Wednesday it was splitting packages of drugs and test kits into smaller batches than originally planned, to sell to more people. The batches will cover three days of supplies for anti-fever drugs, it said.

... In China, only deaths caused by pneumonia and respiratory failure after contracting COVID are being classified as COVID fatalities.

... Germany said it has sent its first batch of BioNTech COVID vaccines to China to be administered initially to German expatriates. Berlin is pushing for other foreign nationals to be allowed to take them.

No details were available on the timing and size of the delivery of the first mRNA vaccines available in China.

https://wkzo.com/2022/12/21/chinese-cities-give-out-free-fever-drugs-as-covid-flares/