Covid chaos in Chinese hospitals: Shortly after the government eased the zero-Covid strategy, numerous Chinese cities are hit by a corona wave. In metropolises such as Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu or Shijiazhuang, hospitals experienced “the first shock of a gigantic wave of infections and a shortage of health workers”, the renowned business magazine “Caixin” wrote on Monday and spoke of a “Covid chaos”. The emergency room is overcrowded. People seeking help have to wait in long queues for up to five or six hours – sometimes with winter temperatures.
With their radical turnaround to lift the zero Covid strategy, lockdowns have ended and strict testing and mandatory quarantine or isolation have largely eased. Even before that, there were signs that the number of infected persons was increasing noticeably and that the testing capacity and the official follow-up of the infections could no longer keep up.
Omicron variant is highly contagious
“The current omicron mutation is highly contagious,” said leading Chinese epidemiologist and government adviser Zhong Nanshan in an interview about the government’s 180-degree turnaround. The epidemic is currently spreading very quickly. “Under such circumstances, it is difficult to completely break the chains of transmission – no matter how strong the prevention and control are.”
The surprising change of course left many hospitals largely unprepared. A major issue is separating Covid cases from other patients and protecting your own staff. Infected people often infect doctors and other workers. “Our hospital follows strict protective measures every day, but with the increase in the number of patients, the infection rate among our medical staff is high,” the newspaper “Zhongguo Shibao”, a doctor from a hospital in southern Guangdong province, quoted.
The previous strict precautionary protocol is already being partly relaxed. A doctor in Beijing reported that she had to continue working despite her own infection. The definition of contact person is also broader than before. Where it is still strictly applied, large parts of doctors and nurses are not on duty because they are infected themselves or because close contacts are in isolation.
People do not dare to take to the streets for fear of contamination
Cold and fever medication and rapid tests are sold out in many pharmacies. In Beijing, for example, many shops and restaurants are closed. People do not dare to go outside for fear of contamination. The otherwise crowded streets of the capital seemed empty on Monday. A sandstorm also darkened the 21 million metropolis, bringing not only the highest levels of smog in years, but a gloomy mood of doom.
After authorities issued urgent warnings about Omicron in recent months, the state media is now downplaying the danger posed by the virus, equating the infection with a common flu. This creates great uncertainty. People have also been strongly warned not to go to hospitals unless absolutely necessary. Instead, patients should self-treat the infection with flu medications at home. Since there are no doctors in China, many Chinese people go to the hospital to see a doctor, even if they have minor problems.
People lined up for hours outside Chaoyang Hospital in Beijing over the weekend to warm up with hot instant noodle soups in cold winter weather and temperatures of up to six degrees. Younger relatives lined up for older ones. Experts fear that the corona wave will now mainly affect the elderly, many of whom have not been sufficiently vaccinated in China for fear of side effects. Only 40 percent of people over the age of 80 have received a booster shot to date.
According to the party-affiliated newspaper Global Times, leading epidemiologists said the wave of infections would peak within a month. Since there is no more testing and probably hardly any reports, the official case numbers no longer reflect what is going on. Sickness reports in companies are skyrocketing. “I know of 25 positive cases or sick people in my area alone,” said a resident of Beijing. Another estimated that a third of his acquaintances were ill. The German embassy in Beijing was also affected: “Due to illness”, the legal and consular departments were closed on Monday.
(SDA)