China recorded its first deaths on Monday since the easing of the strict measures of its “zero COVID” policy, at a time when hospitals and crematoriums are overwhelmed by an unprecedented wave of cases.
The Asian giant abruptly turned around in early December and lifted most of the health restrictions in force for nearly three years, since the first cases of coronavirus appeared in Wuhan at the end of 2019.
Since the lifting of restrictions, the COVID-19 epidemic has exploded in China. But its extent is “impossible” to determine, by the admission of the authorities, screening tests are no longer mandatory.
Experts fear that the country is ill-prepared for the wave of infections linked to this reopening, while millions of elderly and vulnerable people are not vaccinated.
On Monday, authorities reported the deaths of two patients in Beijing, the only ones so far since restrictions were lifted on December 7, according to official figures.
The Chinese capital and its 22 million inhabitants have since been particularly affected by a wave of contamination unprecedented since the start of the pandemic, and which has spread at lightning speed in recent days.
Reports point to an upsurge in deaths in overwhelmed hospitals and overcrowded crematoriums, while anti-flu drugs are lacking in pharmacies.
“The (official) figures do not tell everything,” notes Leong Hoe Nam, an infectious disease expert based in Singapore, who says he expects a much higher toll.
And to argue that some hospitals are too full to accommodate new patients while the importance of the Covid may have been minimized by the nursing staff.
“Three Waves”
As a result, if someone dies “of a heart attack following the stress of an infection” with COVID, “the heart attack will then be the main (retained) cause of death, even though COVID is the cause under underlying,” Leong told AFP.
Since the lifting of restrictions, the authorities have been trying to reassure about the benign nature of the virus despite its contagiousness – contrary to the official discourse since the start of the pandemic.
The municipality-province of Chongqing, which has more than 30 million inhabitants, is thus one of the first to authorize the return to work despite symptoms of COVID.
“Asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients can go to work as normal,” says a notice from the municipality published by the local daily on Sunday. Chongqing Daily.
At the other end of the country, the province of Zhejiang, bordering Shanghai, has also decided that people with mild symptoms can “continue to work” provided they take “protective measures”.
“People are going crazy”
One of the country’s leading epidemiologists, Wu Zunyou, has warned that China is facing “the first of three waves” of COVID-19 expected this winter.
The current wave is expected to last until mid-January and mainly affect cities, before displacements linked to the Lunar New Year holidays (January 22) cause a second in February.
The third peak will occur between late February and mid-March when those infected during the holidays return to their workplaces, Wu said, according to comments reported by the business daily. caijing.
While many Chinese are staying home for fear of catching COVID, some are trying to return to some semblance of normal life.
In Shanghai, around 1,500 people watched the FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and France on Sunday in a bar.
Vicky Gong, an unconditional fan of Argentinian Lionel Messi, told AFP that she wanted to enjoy a “festive” evening after being sick with COVID.
“It’s the first big night” in Shanghai since the lifting of restrictions, underlines René-Pol Bouldoires, co-manager of the bar.
With the epidemic, “people are going crazy”.