China admits coronavirus death toll ‘huge’ – 70% of Shanghai citizens infected

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The ICUs in the hospitals are full, the corridors are full of patients and ranches – The Chinese government is trying to worsen the situation

Chaos reigns in Shanghai hospitals with the situation seemingly out of control. Chinese officials have admitted that the total number of Covid-related deaths in the country is “enormous”, with one doctor claiming that 70% of Shanghai’s 25 million residents are likely to be infected with the virus.

In particular, officials in the field of health admitted in their television appearance that there is an increase “in cases or deaths” from coronavirus, in a rare admission for the country, according to a report by the Daily Mail. However, in an attempt to downplay the situation, they claimed that the increase is comparable to that seen in other countries.

China says around 5,000 citizens have died from the coronavirus since the pandemic broke out in late 2019. Experts believe the death toll could rise to 9,000 a day if the wave continues to sweep the country.

Jiao Yahui, an official at the National Health Commission, told state-run China Central Television that compared to the rest of the world, the peaks of coronavirus waves being faced across the country are not unusual.

Tong Zhaohui, vice president of Chaoyang Hospital in Beijing, agreed that the number of cases is high, but stressed that the death rate could remain low. “Think about how many people around you have been infected but how many were in serious condition or had pneumonia. I think everybody has an idea,” he said.

Chen Erzhen, a vice president at Ruijin Hospital and a member of Shanghai’s Covid expert advisory group, estimated that at least 25 million people are likely to be infected.

China

“Now the spread of the epidemic in Shanghai is very large and may have infected 70% of the population, that is 20 to 30 times more than [τον Απρίλιο και τον Μάιο]”, he said.

In other major cities such as Tianjin, Chongqing and Guangzhou, Chinese health officials say the wave has already peaked.

Another doctor from the hospital in Shanghai claimed that at least 1,600 emergency admissions were being made every day – double the number before restrictions were lifted. About 80% of them have contracted Covid.

China

More than 100 ambulances arrive at the hospital each day and around half of emergency admissions are patients aged over 65.

Elderly Covid patients were found huddled in hospital corridors in Shanghai, coughing and having difficulty breathing. Also, hundreds of elderly patients were lying on stretchers in public places as emergency wards are full.

However, despite the increase in cases, Beijing is reacting to the measures that countries are taking one by one in order to prevent a new wave of Covid-19. Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said: “Some countries have taken restrictive measures when entering a country that only target Chinese travelers. This lacks a scientific basis and certain practices are unacceptable,” he pointed out.

China

Yesterday, Chinese President Xi Jinping finally admitted the mistakes of his draconian “zero cases of Covid” policy, which has failed to contain the virus and sparked the country’s first widespread mass protests in decades.

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