The COVID-2019 Thread

[misskit]

COVID monitoring centre in Korat to reopen as infections rise

The Nakhon Ratchasima provincial administration plans to reopen the COVID-19 monitoring centre next week, in the wake of a rising trend in new infections.


Currently, an average of two COVID-19 patients are dyingeach day in this north-eastern province, with six fatalities reported yesterday (Sunday) alone, most of them elderly people who were not fully vaccinated.


Dr. Jade Boonyawongvirot, deputy director of Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital, said today that he hascoordinated with Governor Siam Sirimongkol about reopening of a COVID-19 monitoring centre next week.


Meanwhile, the hospital is now providing free COVID-19 vaccinations to the public at the Central Plaza shopping mall in Mueang district.


Dr. Jade said that the hospital is now treating about 300 COVID-19 patients each day, with a daily average of two fatalities, adding that he predicts more cases during the festive season, as more people tend to travel and mingle together in crowded places.


The number of COVID-19 infections in Thailand’s north has doubled from about 200 cases a week to about 400 and the death toll has also doubled. Most are people who are over 60 and those suffering from underlying diseases.


Dr. Surachet Arunothong, deputy director of Disease Control Office 1 in Chiang Mai Province said, however, that the increase in infections is predictable and he described it as a “small wave” in Bangkok and tourist provinces, where there are many crowd-gathering activities.


Of the fatalities, he said that 89% were people who are unvaccinated or who have received, at most, three vaccine doses, adding that there are no fatalities yet involving people who have received four vaccine shots.

COVID monitoring centre in Korat to reopen as infections rise | Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world

[misskit]

Hong Kong Revises Covid-19 Regulations

BANGKOK (NNT) - Hong Kong announced changes in its Covid-19 restrictions that went effective on Wednesday (Dec 14), allowing tourists more freedom in preparation for reviving its tourism industry.


Hong Kong has revised its Covid regulations, effective on December 14, citing the reduced threat that imported infections posed to the community. Tourists with a negative PCR test result will now be issued with a blue code, allowing them to freely explore the city. People, including tourists, who test positive, will continue to receive a red code and will be placed in isolation.


Tourists arriving from abroad must take a PCR test at the airport upon arrival and again on the third day and a daily rapid antigen test until the sixth day.


Tourists and businesses have voiced their happiness at the regulatory changes as the city prepares for the upcoming holiday season. However, some believe that the change came a little too late for tourists to change their destinations to Hong Kong while quarantine-free travel to mainland China has yet to resume. They predicted that tourist arrivals would increase by 10-20% during the Christmas and Lunar New Year holidays.

Hong Kong Revises Covid-19 Regulations

[39TG]

-Not sure if I am a high risk, I am 65 and have high blood treasure, treated with medication.
-don't mind paying for it.
-Hearing of the problems in China, the increased tourism here, and relaxed precautions by most, I wonder how long it would be before we start noticing increases here.
-I guess I would need to start calling hospitals and asking if they have the latest booster, I was kind of hoping someone here had some relevant information concerning that.

If you're obese and not so fit, that adds to the risks. The more Covid that is out there also adds to our risks as we're more likely to catch it. On a standard western diet, you're also likely to have cardio-vascular disease. It might be fairly advanced, and you might not know it. This too adds to our vulnerability.

And it isn't just the risk of death that needs considering. I'm more concerned about Long Covid and the loss of income if I'm say sick and can't work for a while. I'm up to 4 vaccinations. I keep meaning to check if I'm entitled to a fifth in my country.

[harrybarracuda]

Looks like Mr. Shithole's decided to let 'er rip.

China is now facing what is likely the world's largest COVID surge of the pandemic. China's public health officials say that possibly 800 million people could be infected with the coronavirus over the next few months. And several models predict that a half million people could die, possibly more.

"Recently, the deputy director of China CDC, Xiaofeng Liang, who' s a good friend of mine, was announcing through the public media that the first COVID wave may, in fact, infect around 60% of the population," says Xi Chen, who's a global health researcher at Yale University and an expert on China's health-care system.

That means about 10% of the planet's population may become infected over the course of the next 90 days.

Epidemiologist Ben Cowling agrees with this prediction. "This surge is going to come very fast, unfortunately. That's the worst thing," says Cowling, who's at the University of Hong Kong. "If it was slower, China would have time to prepare. But this is so fast. In Beijing, there's already a load of cases and [in] other major cities because it's spreading so fast.

Cowling says the virus is spreading faster in China than it's spread ever before anywhere during the pandemic. It also looks to be especially contagious in the Chinese population.

To estimate a virus's transmissibility, scientists often use a parameter called the reproductive number, or R number. Basically, the R number tells you on average how many people one sick person infects. So for instance, at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, in early 2020, the R number was about 2 or 3, Cowling says. At that time, each person spread the virus to 2 to 3 people on average. During the omicron surge here in the U.S. last winter, the R number had jumped up to about 10 or 11, studies have found.

Scientists at the China National Health Commission estimate the R number is currently a whopping 16 in China durng this surge. "This is a really high level of transmissibility," Cowling says. "That's why China couldn't keep their zero-COVID policy going. The virus is just too transmissible even for them."

The COVID-2019 Thread

[misskit]

In COVID-hit Beijing, funeral homes with sick workers struggle to keep up

BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) -Funeral homes across China's COVID-hit capital Beijing, a city of 22 million, scrambled on Saturday to keep up with calls for funeral and cremation services as workers and drivers testing positive for the novel coronavirus called in sick.

After declaring that the Omicron strain has weakened, and unprecedented public protests against a zero-COVID policy championed by President Xi Jinping, China abruptly shifted its COVID management protocols more than a week ago.


Moving away from endless testing, lockdowns and heavy travel restrictions, China is realigning with a world that has largely reopened to live with COVID.


China has told its population of 1.4 billion to nurse their mild symptoms at home unless symptoms become severe, as cities across China brace for their first waves of infections.

In Beijing, which has yet to report any COVID deaths since the policies changed on Dec. 7, sick workers have hit the staffing of services from restaurants and courier firms to its roughly one dozen funeral parlours.

"We've fewer cars and workers now," a staffer at Miyun Funeral Home told Reuters, adding that there was a mounting backlog of demand for cremation services.


"We've many workers who tested positive."


It was not immediately clear if the struggle to meet the increased demand for cremation was due to a rise in COVID-related deaths.


At Huairou Funeral Home, a body had to wait for three days before it could be cremated, a staffer said.


"You can transport the body here yourself, it's been busy recently," the staffer said.


China's health authority last reported COVID deaths on Dec. 3. The Chinese capital last reported a fatality on Nov. 23.

Yet respected Chinese news outlet Caixin reported on Friday that two veteran state media journalists had died after contracting COVID-19 in Beijing, among the first known deaths since China dismantled most of its zero-COVID policies. And on Saturday, Caixin reported a 23-year-old medical student in Sichuan died of COVID on Dec. 14.

Still, the National Health Commission on Saturday reported no change to its official COVID death tally of 5,235.


China's abrupt lifting of its ultra-strict policies could cause over a million deaths through 2023, according to the U.S.-based Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME).


Had those policies been lifted earlier, say on Jan. 3 this year, 250,000 people in China would have died, prominent Chinese epidemiologist Wu Zunyou said on Saturday.


As of Dec. 5, the proportion of seriously or critically ill COVID patients had dropped to 0.18% of reported cases, Wu said, from 3.32% last year and 16.47% in 2020.


This shows China's fatality rate is gradually falling, he said, without elaborating.


It was unclear if the proportion of severely ill has changed since Dec. 5. Regular PCR testing and mandatory reporting of cases was scrapped on Dec. 7.


'NORMAL DEATHS'


"There're long queues of hearses here, and it's hard to say when there'll be available slots," said a staffer at Dongjiao Funeral Home.


"Normal deaths," the staffer said, when asked if the deaths were COVID-related.


The lack of reported COVID deaths for the past 10 days have stirred debate on social media over data disclosure, fuelled also by a dearth of statistics over hospitalisations and the number of seriously ill.


"Why can't these statistics be found? What's going on? Did they not tally them or they just aren't announcing them?" one netizen on Chinese social media asked.


China stopped publishing asymptomatic cases from Wednesday, citing a lack of PCR testing among people with no symptoms that was making it difficult to accurately tally the total count.


Official figures have become an unreliable guide as less testing is being done across the country following the easing of zero-COVID policies.


In Shanghai, more than 1,000 km (620 miles) south of Beijing, local education authorities on Saturday told most schools to hold classes online starting on Monday, to cope with worsening COVID infections across China.


In a sign of staffing crunches to come, Shanghai Disney Resort said on Saturday that entertainment offerings may reduce to a smaller workforce, although the theme park was still operating normally.

In COVID-hit Beijing, funeral homes with sick workers struggle to keep up

[39TG]

The official Chinese death tally will, of course, be nonsense. Best wishes to the Chinese.

[david44]

Beijing, a city of 22 million, scrambled on Saturday to keep up with calls for funeral and cremation services

and

roughly one dozen funeral parlours.

If the R number is 16 they will sadly be very busy the state controlled media can lie but missing people will be noticed and if it gets huge will impact staff in transport, hospitals stores as in the west wherever people congregate.

[harrybarracuda]

Evidence of a wave of Covid-19 deaths is beginning to emerge in Beijing despite official tallies showing no fatalities since an uncontrolled outbreak began sweeping through China’s capital this week.Staff at one crematorium in Beijing said they cremated the bodies of at least 30 Covid victims on Wednesday and Financial Times reporters saw two body bags at a special hospital designated for coronavirus patients.“We cremated 150 bodies [on Wednesday], many times more than a typical day last winter,” said an employee at the state-owned Beijing Dongjiao Funeral Home who asked not to be named. “Thirty or 40 had Covid.”

Subscribe to read | Financial Times

[harrybarracuda]

Coronavirus boosters cut hospitalization risk by at least 50%, CDC data shows

Adults who received the updated coronavirus booster shots are better protected against severe disease than those who haven’t, cutting their risk of having to visit an emergency room or being hospitalized with covid-19 by 50 percent or more, according to new federal data.

For people 65 and older who have received the updated booster, “there is significant added protection against severe disease and hospitalization,” Link-Gelles said. “You’re really getting in the sort of range of 70 to 80 percent extra protection on top of your monovalent or your older vaccine doses.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/healt...t-tripledemic/

[harrybarracuda]

Chinkies flying to Macau to get a decent vaccine


Coronavirus: as cases surge, mainland Chinese head to Macau to get mRNA vaccine unavailable at home | South China Morning Post

[harrybarracuda]

The sprawling Chinese metropolis of Chongqing announced Sunday that public sector employees testing positive for Covid-19 can go to work “as normal,” a remarkable turnaround for a city that only weeks ago had been in the throes of a mass lockdown.

The move comes as China continues to quickly unravel its once-stringent zero-Covid policy, with local governments across the nation relaxing costly rules around testing, quarantine and other pandemic policies amid a widespread economic downturn.

“Asymptomatic and mildly ill employees of the (Communist Party) and government organizations at all levels, enterprises and institutions can go to work normally after taking protective measures as necessary for their health status and job requirements,” the Chongqing pandemic response office said in a statement published on the municipal government’s website.

It added that government agencies would no longer check employees – including police, public school teachers and other workers – for daily negative Covid tests. Instead, authorities will shift the focus of work from preventing infection to health protection and preventing severe disease, it said.

The abrupt U-turn is especially stunning in Chongqing, one of China’s largest cities, with 32 million residents and annual GDP of $400 billion.

Jerry Cheng, who works at a state-owned construction company in the city and is currently Covid positive, voiced concerns about the announcement.

“I won’t go unless they call my name,” he told CNN. “It’s definitely not a good thing to have a group of infected people working together,” he said, adding the new policy was to protect the local economy.

Cheng’s anxiety was reflected on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, on Monday as Chongqing residents reacted to the announcement.

“Why do you need to go and infect healthy people?” read one top comment. Another user wrote: “This is going from one extreme to the other.”

Chinese megacity Chongqing says people with Covid can go to work 'as normal' | CNN Business

[Shutree]

In Shanghai, more than 1,000 km (620 miles) south of Beijing, local education authorities on Saturday told most schools to hold classes online starting on Monday, to cope with worsening COVID infections across China.

I have been chatting to Miss Shanghai the last couple of days. She is in bed on Day 4 of Covid. her sister has it. Her son-in-law and his parents are a couple of days ahead of her. The grandchildren either haven't caught it or remain asymptomatic. She is not very well, just stoic and getting though it alone at her home.

[Edmond]

Sounds like those in charge have finally changed tune and are finally going to let it work through the entire Chinese population, then back to life as normal.

Minus a small few.


Good for them.

[misskit]

Health minister confident COVID infections over New Year are controllable

Thailand’s Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is confident that COVID-19 infections during the New Year celebrations will be kept under control, as the Public Health Ministry is fully equipped with manpower and medical supplies to cope with the situation.


He did, however, express concern over those who are over 60, have kidney or heart diseases or cancer, saying that it is imperative that they get vaccinated or are fully vaccinated, to reduce the risk of severe symptoms.


He said that everyone should receive at least four doses of vaccine, which will enhance their ability to avoid serious illness if they become infected, adding that he has been informed that more people have recently been turning up for inoculation.


The minister believes that most people in the country have developed immunity to COVID-19 through vaccination or a prior infection.

Health minister confident COVID infections over New Year are controllable | Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world

[harrybarracuda]

Sounds like those in charge have finally changed tune and are finally going to let it work through the entire Chinese population, then back to life as normal.

Minus a small few.

As a percentage it will be small.

But in raw numbers....

Sounds like those in charge have finally changed tune

It's more like sounds like he in charge is worried about all the rioting.

[misskit]

Leaked document reports China has 248 million COVID cases

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — According to what are purportedly minutes from Wednesday's (Dec. 21) meeting of China's National Health Commission (NHC) there were nearly 37 million COVID cases reported Tuesday (Dec. 20), while the total number of infections from Dec. 1-20 was 248 million people, accounting for 17.56% of the total population.


On Thursday (Dec. 22), the NHC minutes were allegedly leaked onto Weibo, presenting a picture of China's COVID outbreak that is far more severe than official reports. In the minutes, Ma Xiaowei (馬曉偉), director of the NHC, said that with further adjustments to national epidemic prevention measures, coupled with the large-scale movement of people during the Lunar New year, the outbreak will intensify and the infection rate will increase.


He warned that medical resources in rural areas are insufficient and there are many elderly people with chronic diseases. Once the infections spread to those areas and vulnerable groups, Ma warned the situation will "become more serious."

As of Tuesday, among the provincial-level administrative regions in China, Beijing and Sichuan ranked first and second respectively, with infection rates exceeding 50%. Areas reporting infection rates of 20-50% include Tianjin, Hubei, Henan, Hunan, Anhui, Gansu, and Hebei.


The document reported the estimated number of new infections on Tuesday was 36.99 million, accounting for 2.62% of the total population, and represented an increase from Sunday and Monday's (Dec. 18-19) numbers. As for the rankings by province and region, the top five in terms of infection rate (the number of infected people divided by the total population) on that day were Sichuan, Anhui, Hubei, Shanghai, and Hunan. If ranked by cities (including municipalities directly under the central government), the top four are Chengdu, Lanzhou, Hefei and Shanghai.


Ranking areas by the total number of infections, provinces with more than 20 million infected were led by Sichuan, followed by Henan and Hubei. Areas reporting 10 to 20 million cases were led by Hunan, followed by Hebei, Guangdong, Beijing, Anhui, and Shandong.


In terms of cities with infections totaling more than 5 million people, Beijing reported the most, followed by Chengdu, Wuhan, Tianjin, Zhengzhou, and Chongqing. According to the minutes, these figures come from the "Video and Telephone Conference on Strengthening the Medical Treatment of Patients with COVID" organized by the NHC at 4 p.m. on Wednesday and were reported to the National Administration of Disease Control and Prevention.


The minutes said there are "spatial clustering" characteristics in areas with high incidences of COVID. Among them, the development of the outbreak in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Chengdu-Chongqing, Lianghu, and Central China is relatively fast, while the progression of the epidemic in the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, northwest and northeast regions is relatively slower.


The minutes said the situation in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region is at the "high epidemic" stage. Beijing, however, has passed the peak period of the outbreak and has entered the peak period of critical illness and severe illness, with medical treatment facilities facing greater pressure.


As for Tianjin, which is also at the peak phase, it is expected that cases may drop from the peak in the next two to three days. Throughout Hebei Province "the outbreak is fast and the growth rate is relatively fast," and it is expected to enter the peak phase in the next three to five days.


In the Chengdu-Chongqing and Hebei and Hubei areas, the outbreak is developing rapidly. Among these areas, the outbreak in Sichuan Province has rapidly developed to a high level and is the second area after Beijing with an infection rate of more than 50%. Many cities, including Chengdu, are seeing a peak in cases, with healthcare services under great pressure.


As for Chongqing, the outbreak in the main urban area is worse than in the outer suburbs, and it is expected that the city will enter the peak period in about a week. The entire province of Hubei is in the peak stage, and the number of new cases in the past two days has shown signs of fluctuating and declining.


The summary mentioned that since Dec. 1, genetic sequencing has been conducted on 1,100 infected persons in 19 provinces and regions in China, and 12 Omicron variants have been found. The main strains detected are the Omicron subvariants BA.5.2, BF.7, and BM.7.


Of the subvariants, Beijing, Heilongjiang, Guizhou and Xinjiang have a high proportion of BF.7, and other provinces and regions have a high proportion of BA.5.2. Thus far, no new variants have been found with significant changes in transmissibility, pathogenicity and immune escape.


Reuters on Thursday cited UK health data research firm Airfinity, as estimating that 5,000 are likely dying from COVID per day in China. Based on the current situation with the outbreak in China, the firm estimates that 1.3 million to 2.1 million people could die from this COVID outbreak.


The company predicts that China could see peaks, with one peak of 3.7 million per day by mid-January in areas where infections are climbing. This could then be followed by a second peak of 4.2 million per day in other regions that have not yet seen as many cases by March.


According to the firm, infections in Beijing and Guangdong are growing the fastest.


Dr. Lin Xiaoxu (林曉旭), a former U.S. Army research virologist at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, told Radio Free Asia the data disclosed in the above-mentioned meeting's minutes are likely estimates based on a certain model. He said that this can only be used as a reference, indicating the outbreak has become widespread across China.


Lin said what Chinese officials are most worried about is the number of severe cases and deaths, as well as the run on medical resources.


According to the NHC report released on Wednesday, only 3,101 new confirmed COVID cases were reported on Tuesday, of which 3,049 were local cases. No new deaths were reported that day.

Leaked document reports China has 248 million COVID cases | Taiwan News | 2022-12-23 1200

[taxexile]

Leaked document reports China has 248 million COVID cases

and ...



Ni hao, are you a Chinese traveler looking forward to entering Thailand? You will be happy to know that from July 1st, 2022, visiting Thailand is as easy as it was before the pandemic. Thailand has removed its travel restrictions and entry requirements for Chinese Travelers.

These are the major changes that will affect travelers from China:

Foreigners do not need to show proof of Covid Insurance.

All mandatory hotel quarantine has been removed.

Thailand Pass is no longer required for Chinese citizens travelers entering Thailand.

Vaccinated travelers do not need to provide proof of vaccination before arriving.

Unvaccinated travelers (including children traveling with unvaccinated parents) need to complete an RT-PCR or Professional Antigen Test (Pro-ATK) test 72 hours before departing for Thailand. Proof does not need to be uploaded before traveling.
Travel to Thailand from China | ThaiEmbassy.com

surely not.

[misskit]

China to Axe Travel Quarantine in Major COVID Rule Reversal

China will drop rules next month requiring inbound travelers to quarantine for the coronavirus more than a week, as the country moves to lift many of its strict anti-coronavirus measures. Since 2020, inbound travelers to China have been required to quarantine for eight days, including five days at a government-run facility. Starting on Jan. 8, however, inbound travelers will no longer be required to quarantine to avoid spreading the virus, according to China's National Health Commission.


The move comes as China more broadly rolls back the harsh measures that came with President Xi Jinping's "Zero Covid" policy. After a rare wave of protests last month against the uncompromising policies, the Chinese government abandoned many of the rules, a decision that could help revive the country's economy even as it sets off more Covid infections.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/china-...ersal?ref=home

[harrybarracuda]

I think, like the West, they've realised the financial advantages of weeding out the elderly and the infirm.

[harrybarracuda]

China to Axe Travel Quarantine in Major COVID Rule Reversal

Looks like people are starting to prepare for it.

And it looks like Japan doesn't trust the crap chinky vaccines either.

Japan to require negative COVID test upon arrival for Chinese travellers

Japan to require negative COVID test upon arrival for Chinese travellers | Reuters

[misskit]

China Should be Restricted From Visiting Thailand, Says Pheu Thai MP

Thailand yesterday greeted the news that China is easing Covid-19 restrictions and opening its borders to foreigners with open arms as it seeks to further expand its tourism industry.


Today, lawmakers are advising Thailand to exercise caution and limit possible Chinese visitors who may be carrying Covid to avoid another potentially disastrous outbreak.


Members of Pheu Thai’s strategy committee, including former deputy prime minister Chaturon Chaisang, feel that travelers from China and nations where there have been many Chinese tourists should be subject to restrictions.

Thailand should carefully be ready for the surge of Chinese visitors given the [Covid outbreak] scenario in China.
“We need to set up some guards…”


Additionally, testing should be conducted to determine what kinds of variations are entering China to see if they are more severe than the variants discovered in Thailand.


Chaturon’s remarks followed the mainland’s announcement that beginning on January 8, travelers entering the country would no longer be subject to quarantine.

The nation also said today that it would let its people to go overseas and that preparations were being made to make it easier for Chinese nationals to do so.


The Thai tourism industry received the decision well since, prior to the epidemic, more than 25 percent of Thailand’s 40 million visitors in 2019 were Chinese tourists.


During the most recent Covid epidemic in China, the virus infected more than 20% of the country’s almost 1.5 billion people. The World Health Organization warned that an epidemic of this kind might produce new types.


Between December 18 and December 24, there were less than 3,000 Covid hospitalization instances in Thailand, according to Thai Enquirer.
Private industry organizations applauded China’s decision to relax quarantine restrictions.


Sanan Angubolkul, the chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, said Wednesday that he anticipates around 5 million Chinese visitors in 2019, up from fewer than 300,000 this year.


Following Beijing’s statement, the Thailand Tourism Authority revised its prediction for the number of tourists in 2023 from 20 million to 25 million.

However, due of the continuous spread in China, many individuals continue to be wary.


A negative Covid-19 test before Chinese visitors may enter their country is one limitation that nations like Japan, India, and the United States are considering implementing.


To prevent public panic, Chaturon suggested that the Thai government implement similar procedures and constantly monitor the outbreak situation in China.


He said implementing such regulations will make foreign visitors to Thailand feel safer from Covid.

China Should Be Restricted From Visiting Thailand, Says Pheu Thai MP

[misskit]

US Will Require People Traveling From China to Take COVID-19 Test: CDC – NBC Los Angeles



Italy orders Covid screening for all arrivals from China

Italy said on Wednesday it was reinstating mandatory coronavirus tests for arrivals from China following an explosion in cases there, with Milan's Malpensa airport finding around half of all passengers tested were positive.

Just a moment...

[malmomike77]

welcome to 2020 and to think they've had 2 years to get a proper vaccine rolled out and build immunity instead of locking everyone away - OhOh's mate Xi is a class A fukin idiot - fact.

Coronavirus: China's hospitals seem to be filling up - WHO

Hospitals in China appear to be filling up amid concerns about a fresh Covid-19 wave hitting the country, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.


Dr Michael Ryan says intensive care units (ICU) are busy despite officials saying numbers are "relatively low".


China figures show no-one died of Covid on Wednesday but there is scepticism about the disease's real impact.


In recent days hospitals in Beijing and other cities have been filling up as the latest Covid surge hits China.


Since 2020, China has imposed strict health restrictions as part of its zero Covid policy.


But, the government ended most of those measures two weeks ago after landmark protests against the strict controls.


The number of cases has since soared, raising fears of a high mortality rate among the elderly, who are particularly vulnerable.


Despite the rise, the official figures show only five people died from Covid on Tuesday and two on Monday.


'Everyone I know is getting a fever' - Covid hits China
It has led to WHO emergencies chief Dr Ryan urging China to provide more information about the latest spread of the virus.


He said: "In China, what's been reported is relatively low numbers of cases in ICUs, but anecdotally ICUs are filling up.


"We've been saying this for weeks that this highly infectious virus was always going to be very hard to stop completely, with just public health and social measures."


Speaking during a weekly news conference in Geneva WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he is "very concerned over the evolving situation in China".


He appealed for specific data on disease severity, hospital admissions and intensive care requirements.


Dr Ryan added that "vaccination is the exit strategy" to coronavirus outbreaks.


China has developed and produced its own vaccines, which have been shown to be less effective at protecting people against serious Covid illness and death than the mRNA vaccines used in much of the rest of the world.


His comments come as the German government announced on Wednesday it had sent its first batch of BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines to China.

more Coronavirus: China'''s hospitals seem to be filling up - WHO - BBC News

[harrybarracuda]

China Should be Restricted From Visiting Thailand, Says Pheu Thai MP

Fucking right they should.

At least bring back testing and quarantine for the fuckers.

[Little Chuchok]

MILAN, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Italy has ordered COVID-19 antigen swabs and virus sequencing for all travellers coming from China, where cases are surging, the health minister said on Wednesday.
Italy, which was the first nation in Europe to be hit hard by the virus in February 2020 after it emerged in China, is now the first to impose mandatory tests on people arriving from the Asian country grappling with a new wave.
Milan's main airport, Malpensa, had already started testing passengers arriving from Beijing and Shanghai on Dec. 26, and the results showed almost one in two passengers was infected.



Italy imposes mandatory Covid tests for travellers from China | Reuters