China on Sunday reported its first Covid-19 death since May 2022. While the pandemic seems to be at its end in the majority of countries, China is back at moving dangerously close to the most life-threatening disease in recent times.
On Monday, the National Health Commission published more detailed guidance on how these measures would be applied to testing, the delineation, and management of risk areas as well as home isolation practices.
According to a report by news agency Associate Press, the death of the 87-year-old Beijing man was the first reported by the National Health Commission since May 26, bringing the total death toll to 5,227. Reportedly, the previous death was recorded in Shanghai, which underwent a major springtime surge in cases.
On Sunday, China announced 24,215 new cases detected over the previous 24 hours, the vast majority of them asymptomatic.
According to reports, although the country’s overall vaccination rate of more than 92 percent have received at least one dose. However, this number is reportedly lower among elderly recipients especially those over the age of 80 years.
Since 2019, with a population of over 1.4 billion, China has officially reported just 86,197 cases since the virus was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. Reportedly, China has also defied advice from the World Health Organization (WHO) to adopt a more targeted prevention strategy.
According to a report by Reuters, the asian share markets turned hesitant on Monday as investors fretted about the economic fallout from fresh COVID-19 restrictions in China, while bonds and the dollar braced for more updates on U.S. monetary policy.
Amid the rising cases, Beijing’s most populous district urged residents to stay at home on Monday, while at least one district in Guangzhou was locked down for five days.
Reportedly, China is fighting numerous COVID-19 flare-ups, from Zhengzhou in central Henan province to Chongqing in the southwest and for Sunday reported 26,824 new local cases, nearing the country’s pandemic peak in April. It also recorded two deaths in Beijing, up from one on Saturday, which was China’s first since late May, as per Reuters.
Meanwhile, the latest covid wave is testing China’s determination to stick to its zero-COVID policy. On Sunday, Shijiazhuang announced it would conduct mass testing in six of its eight districts over the next five days after new daily local cases hit 641.
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Beijing reported 962 new infections, up from 621 a day earlier. Its sprawling Chaoyang district, home to 3.5 million people, urged residents to stay home, with school going online. Some schools in Haidian, Dongcheng, and Xicheng districts also halted in-person teaching.
(With inputs from agencies)