Chinese hospitals 'extremely busy' as COVID spreads unchecked

Chinese hospitals were under intense pressure on Wednesday as a surge of COVID-19 infections strained medical resources, while the scale of the outbreak and doubts over official data prompted some countries to consider new travel rules on Chinese visitors. In an abrupt change of policy, China earlier this month began dismantling the world's strictest COVID regime of lockdowns and extensive testing, putting its battered economy on course for a complete re-opening next year.

The move, which came after widespread protests against the restrictions, means COVID is spreading largely unchecked and likely infecting millions of people a day, according to some international health experts. The speed at which COVID rules have been scrapped has left China's fragile health system overwhelmed and prompted countries around the world, which have long been living with the virus, to consider travel restrictions for Chinese visitors, given questions about official data coming out of Beijing. Staff at Huaxi, a large hospital in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu, said they were "extremely busy" caring for patients with COVID, as they have been ever since curbs were eased on Dec. 7. Zhang Yuhua, an official at the Beijing Chaoyang Hospital said patients who have come in recently are mainly the elderly and critically ill with underlying diseases. She said the number of patients receiving emergency care had increased to 450-550 per day, from roughly 100 before, according to state media. Pictures published by state-run China Daily showed rows of mostly elderly patients, some breathing through oxygen tubes, receiving treatment from medical staff in white hazmat suits inside the hospital's intensive care unit. Official statistics, however, showed only one COVID death in the seven days to Monday. International health experts predict at least 1 million COVID deaths in China next year. TRAVEL RULES In a major step towards freer travel, China will stop requiring inbound travellers to go into quarantine from Jan. 8, authorities said this week, prompting many Chinese, cut off from the world for so long, to check travel platforms. But while online searches for flights spiked on Tuesday from extremely low levels, residents and travel agencies suggested a return to anything like normal would take some months yet, given worries about COVID and more careful spending because of the impact of the pandemic. (Source Reuters)