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China says tracking Covid cases now 'impossible' as infections soar

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="A volunteer health worker sleeps in an epidemic prevention and control support vehicle in Beijing, on Tuesday. Despite daily cases increasing, some cities such as Beijing and Guangzhou are taking steps to loosen COVID-19 testing requirements and quarantine rules as China looks to relax its strict policy amid an economic downturn with Beijing shopping malls and supermarkets no longer requiring negative results starting December 6. Wu Hao, EPA-EFE" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/life/12/06/20221206-covid-china-quarantine-epa-1.jpg"/><figcaption>A volunteer health worker sleeps in an epidemic prevention and control support vehicle in Beijing, on Tuesday. Despite daily cases increasing, some cities such as Beijing and Guangzhou are taking steps to loosen COVID-19 testing requirements and quarantine rules as China looks to relax its strict policy amid an economic downturn with Beijing shopping malls and supermarkets no longer requiring negative results starting December 6. <em>Wu Hao, EPA-EFE</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>BEIJING, China - The true scale of Covid-19 infections in China is now &quot;impossible&quot; to track, the country&#x27;s top health body said Wednesday, as officials warned of a rapid spread in Beijing after the country abruptly dropped its zero-tolerance policy.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/12/11/22/china-expert-covid-spreading-rapidly-after-rules-eased">Top China expert says COVID &#x27;spreading rapidly&#x27; after rules easing</a></li></ul><p>China last week loosened restrictions for mass testing and quarantine after nearly three years of attempting to stamp out the virus, prompting officially reported infections to fall quickly from the all-time highs recorded last month.</p><p>And with testing no longer required for much of the country, China&#x27;s National Health Commission on Wednesday admitted its numbers no longer reflected reality.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/12/07/22/china-announces-nationwide-loosening-of-covid-curbs">China announces nationwide loosening of COVID restrictions</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/12/08/22/chinas-capital-adjusts-to-life-with-covid-after-policy-reversal">China&#x27;s capital adjusts to life with COVID after policy reversal</a></li></ul><p>&quot;Many asymptomatic people are no longer participating in nucleic acid testing, so it is impossible to accurately grasp the actual number of asymptomatic infected people,&quot; the NHC said in a statement.</p><p>The statement comes after Vice Premier Sun Chunlan said the capital&#x27;s new infections were &quot;rapidly growing&quot;, according to a state media readout.</p><p>Chinese leaders are determined to press ahead with opening up, with Beijing&#x27;s tourism authorities saying on Tuesday that it would resume tour groups in and out of the capital.</p><p>But the country is facing a surge in cases it is ill-equipped to manage, with millions of vulnerable elderly still not fully vaccinated and underfunded hospitals lacking the resources to deal with an expected influx of infected patients.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="A volunteer health worker walks on the street in Beijing, December 7, 2022. Wu Hao, EPA-EFE" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/overseas/12/11/11182916-epa-efe.jpg"/><figcaption>A volunteer health worker walks on the street in Beijing, December 7, 2022.<em> Wu Hao, EPA-EFE</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>And as the country steers a tricky path out of its zero-Covid policy towards living with the virus, many with symptoms have opted to self-medicate at home.</p><p>Residents of Beijing have complained of sold-out cold medicines and long lines at pharmacies, while Chinese search giant Baidu said that searches for fever-reducing Ibuprofen had risen 430 percent over the past week.</p><p>Soaring demand for rapid antigen tests and medications has created a black market with astronomical prices, while buyers resort to sourcing the goods from &quot;dealers&quot; whose contacts are being passed around WeChat groups.</p><p>Authorities are cracking down, with market regulators hitting one business in Beijing with a 300,000 yuan ($43,000) fine for selling overpriced test kits, the local Beijing News reported Tuesday.</p><p>And in a sea change in a country where infection with the virus was once taboo and recovered patients faced discrimination, people are taking to social media to show off their test results and give detailed descriptions of their experiences being sick.</p><p>&quot;When my body temperature went past 37.2 degrees, I began to add some sugar and salt to my lemon water,&quot; Beijing-based Xiaohongshu social site user &quot;Nina&quot; wrote in one account intended as advice for those not yet infected.</p><p>&quot;I&#x27;ve been resurrected!!&quot; wrote another account owner in the caption to a photo showing a row of five positive antigen tests and one negative.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QgtC5_L0plk?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

The true scale of Covid-19 infections in China is now 'impossible' to track, the country's top health body said Wednesday, as officials warned of a rapid spread in Beijing after the country abruptly dropped its zero-tolerance policy.