News Asia
COVID-19: Chinese State Media Attempts To Comfort The Public
(CTN NEWS) – WUHAN – Chinese authorities and state media attempted to reassure the public that the COVID-19 outbreak sweeping the nation was under control and approaching its peak as thousands of people celebrated the New Year on the streets.
As the virus spreads throughout the population, many people in large cities have continued to isolate, although New Year’s celebrations seemed to be largely untouched as people marked the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023.
Residents in Wuhan, where the coronavirus was initially discovered at the end of 2019, said they were no longer concerned about the effects of loosening tight zero-COVID regulations on how to live with the sickness. At least for the young and healthy, this is true.
People release balloons as they gather to celebrate New Year’s Eve, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Wuhan, Hubei province, China January 1, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
A 29-year-old tutor with the last name Wu said, “Basically, now my buddies and I feel quite happy and optimistic.” “There are a lot of folks out and about.”
We all know that this virus will particularly impact the middle-aged and the elderly, particularly those over 60 and especially those with underlying conditions.
A sizable crowd of people waited in line at the emergency room of Wuhan’s Tongji Hospital, a key institution for COVID-19 patients like Huang, a resident 72 years old who only wished to be identified by her last name.
“I’m feeling unwell. I lack energy. My airway is closed. I used to be in really decent shape. I had lungs checked with X-rays. You must wait a very long time to get seen at this hospital, “She spoke.
Police guard an area to avoid mass gatherings during New Year’s Eve celebration, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Wuhan, Hubei province, China December 31, 2022. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
DATA BEING SCRUTINISED
The validity of China’s case and mortality data, as well as its unexpected U-turn on COVID-19 regulations, have come under increased criticism both domestically and internationally.
The increase in cases has sparked new concerns about the state of the economy, and in his first public remarks since the policy shift, President Xi Jinping urged for more effort and unity as China enters a “new chapter” in a New Year’s address.
The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said on Sunday that China reported one additional COVID-19 fatality on the mainland on December 31, the same number as a day earlier (Jan 1).
China currently has a total official death toll of 5,249, which is far less than that of other major nations. Claims that the administration purposefully underreported the total number of fatalities have been disputed by the government.
On Sunday, a sporadic trickle of mourners and hearse drivers arrived at the Hankou funeral home outside of Wuhan.
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Employees at the strongly guarded entrance to the site declined to provide information about their recent workloads.
However, after China abruptly abandoned its COVID-19 limits last month, funeral homes in other Chinese cities, like Chengdu and Beijing, reported being busier than ever.
China’s CDC announced 5,138 officially confirmed cases on Saturday, but experts believe the true number of illnesses is much higher because mass testing is no longer in use.
In the southeastern Chinese city of Guangzhou, state media reported on Sunday that daily cases recently peaked at almost 60,000 and are now hovering around 19,000.
The government has been attempting to reassure the public that the situation is under control.
And on Sunday, the state news agency Xinhua published an editorial in which it claimed that the current approach was “a planned, science-based approach” that took into account the virus’s ever-evolving nature.
On January 1st, 2023, people gather to rejoice in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, and release balloons. (Image: Tingshu Wang/Reuters)
Online COVID-related content is censored in China as some people reflect on New Year’s Eve.
As instances rise with the reopening, Xi claims that COVID-19 control is entering a new phase.
People release balloons as they gather to celebrate in Wuhan, Hubei province, China on Jan 1, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Tingshu Wang)
REASSURANCE
Separately, Xinhua reported that the manufacture of medications had increased over the previous month, with the production of the painkillers ibuprofen and paracetamol currently at 190 million pills per day, five times greater than it was in the beginning of December.
It claimed that in just one month, daily manufacturing of antigen test kits had nearly doubled to 110 million.
Australia and Canada followed the United States and other countries on Sunday in demanding that visitors from China present negative COVID-19 tests upon arrival.
Morocco’s foreign ministry announced that it would put a ban on travellers from China.
In response to worries that China is not providing enough information about the nature and scope of the current outbreak, Australia’s Minister of Health Mark Butler said new measures would also be taken into consideration.
On Sunday, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen pledged to give China the “necessary assistance” it needs to handle the recent spike in COVID-19 cases.
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