December 23, 2022
3 mins read

Covid wave sweeps Shanghai

A surge of coronavirus cases has been sweeping across China since the government eased its strict lockdowns and measures to contain the spread of the virus…reports Asian Lite News

Shanghai, China’s megacity with a 25 million-strong population has been hit by a surge in coronavirus cases, reported NHK World.

Case numbers have been growing since last week in Shanghai, where staff shortages are causing delays in delivery services. Shanghai has the largest Japanese population among cities in China. The city’s Japanese consulate-general said the virus is spreading among employees at Japanese and other businesses, reported NHK World.

This comes months after Shanghai endured a brutal lockdown to stop the spread of Covid. Hospitals are struggling to cope with the number of infected patients, pharmacies are turning customers away empty-handed, businesses are shutting because staff are off sick, most schools have closed and usage of public transport is plummeting, the report claimed.

But officials at the mission said there have been no reports suggesting production lines or distribution have been severely affected by the surge. They say this is partly because there are no longer restrictions on people’s movements, reported NHK World.

A medical worker leads recovered COVID-19 patients leaving a makeshift hospital in Shanghai, east China, April 23, 2022. Huang Dongfang, who lives in a three-and-a-half-story old apartment in Guangfu residential area, recovered from COVID-19 infection and returned her home on Saturday evening. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang/IANS)

A surge of coronavirus cases has been sweeping across China since the government eased its strict lockdowns and measures to contain the spread of the virus, on December 7.

Meanwhile, Chinese media outlets reported that infections are spreading among civil servants in several provinces, including Henan and Shandong. They said local authorities have closed their offices to the public and are calling on citizens to use online services instead, reported NHK World.

Officials of Chengdu in the inland province of Sichuan said at a news conference on Thursday they have set up 300 fever clinics across the city. They said up to 42,000 people are visiting the facilities everyday.

People in China have also raised a fresh chorus for the resignation of Premier Xi Jinping over his failure to rein in the pandemic in the country.

The people have also demanded an end to the one-party rule of the Communist Party of China (CCP), with many raising slogans such as ‘Step down, Xi Jinping! Step down, Communist Party!’ and ‘We don’t want lifelong rulers. We don’t want emperors’, as per a Insideover news report.

China’s sudden Covid surge also point towards a lack of effectiveness of its vaccines. This acts as a cause of concern, especially for countries to which China supplies its vaccines, reported Tibet Press.

According to a recent report by Voices Against Autocracy, Chinese citizens have been left to fend for themselves after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), amid widespread protests against the government’s ‘Zero-Covid’ policy, suddenly lifted its stringent Covid regulations.

Covid has been rapidly spreading in China. Unofficial reports claim that about 40 per cent of Beijing’s residents are currently infected with Covid. The CCP, according to reports, has shifted its stance on Covid, claiming it to be a mere flu.

As cases rise in major Chinese cities, even people with mild symptoms are rushing to hospitals. Emergency call operators are receiving 30,000 calls a day, six times the average number of calls received.

According to Voices Against Autocracy, there are queues outside fever clinics in various cities. Drugs and medicines are in short supply and hospitals are under stress as doctors and nurses catch the virus. Doctors who have tested positive or are asymptomatic are also being asked to come to work, risking further transmission. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Researchers use new tech to test blood proteins in Covid patients

Previous Story

Newly-elected lawmakers take oath in Nepal

Next Story

Foreign Ministry closely monitoring developments in Fiji

Latest from -Top News

Pakistan Slams IWT Move as ‘Act of War’

Islamabad also said that India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) will be considered as an “act of war”…reports Asian Lite News The high-level emergency meeting of Pakistan’s National Security

Modi: We’ll Hunt Them Down

The Prime Minister thanked nations that extended support to India in the aftermath of the terror attack…reports Asian Lite News In his first address after the horrific terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu

Moscow Steps Up Afghan Diplomacy

Russia sees a potential economic partner in the Taliban authorities, who praised Moscow for scrapping the “terrorism” label last week…reports Asian Lite News Russia has announced that it will elevate the Afghan

World leaders condemn Kashmir terror attack 

Strong messages of condemnation of the terror attack came from leaders in different parts of the world including the US, Russia, UAE, Israel, Singapore, France, Sri Lanka and Iran  World leaders strongly

India downgrades ties with Pakistan 

The decision — which also included the downgrading of diplomatic ties with Pakistan — came after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by the PM   India on
Go toTop

Don't Miss

US slams China for ties with Russia

Vedant Patel says China cannot have stronger ties with Europe

UAE study finds Sotrovimab prevents death among high-risk

A two-week evaluation on 6,175 Covid-19 patients in Abu Dhabi