The elation meeting China's testing and quarantine rules changes fades amid mounting signs the country may pay a price for shielding a population that lacks 'herd immunity' and has low vaccination rates among the elderly.
BEIJING, China – A week after China began dismantling its tough ‘zero-COVID’ controls, the World Health Organization warned of “very tough” times ahead and state media reported some seriously ill patients at hospitals in Beijing, raising fears of a wave of infections.
“It’s always very difficult for any country coming out of a situation where you’ve had very, very tight controls,” WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris told a press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday, December 13, adding China faced a “very tough and difficult time.” There were 50 severe and critical cases in hospitals in Beijing, most of whom have underlying health conditions, state news agency Xinhua reported late Tuesday. Such numbers are small considering China’s 1.4 billion population, but there are growing fears that hospitals could soon become flooded with cases.
Policy insiders and business analysts said the leadership was expected to map out further stimulus steps and discuss growth targets in the annual three-day session.
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