AMN/ WEB DESK
China is battling a continuous surge in daily new COVID-19 cases as it reported more than 4500 fresh cases today. Since the beginning of March, Omicron surge has engulfed the entire country with a brutal hammering in Jilin province which has imposed stay-at-home orders on 4.5 million more people starting Monday. It comes after Jilin reported two COVID-19 deaths on Saturday, the first Covid-19 deaths in the country since January 2021.
Jilin, the worst-hit province has reported nearly 75 percent of new Covid-19 cases on Monday, pushing authorities again to stick to its much-criticized dynamic zero-COVID policy which has put enormous pressure on local governments and practically closed China’s borders for international travelers.
Tens of millions of people are currently in lockdown in other Chinese regions and authorities are scrambling to create hospital beds, fearing the outbreak could put the healthcare system under strain as silent or asymptomatic infections are spreading very quickly this time. Jilin province has built eight temporary hospitals and two quarantine centres.
China’s financial hub of Shanghai reported on Monday a record daily surge in local COVID-19 infections with more than 750 fresh cases as authorities scrambled to test residents and rein in the Omicron variant while closing its Disney resort until further notice. Shanghai is in a state of partial lockdown. The local health commission said the city has entered a crucial stage in battling its worst flare-up in two years.
In its worst outbreak since Wuhan in 2020, China has reported nearly 37,000 cases this month, with experts describing mostly ‘mild cases’. Chinese President Xi Jinping has also emphasized this week to adhere to “Zero-COVID” policy as the country has put millions of people in lockdown to cut the transmission chain in atleast a dozen cities including the southern tech hub Shenzhen. According to local media, restrictions are being eased in Shenzhen, which locked down its 17.5 million residents a week ago.
Local media reported quoting experts that China’s zero-Covid policy has put tremendous pressure on the cash-strapped local governments. China is clinging to a zero-tolerance approach to the pandemic that relies on stringent lockdowns, mass testing, and quarantine in government facilities. But the cost of maintaining the strategy is growing and many local governments are struggling to balance debt control with strict virus prevention measures. China has also tweaked its testing strategy and quarantine policy aimed at easing the burden on the resources.