China abruptly ended its zero-Covid policy in early
December, with 80 per cent of its 1.4 billion population becoming infected, a
prominent government scientist said last month.
Though there were widespread reports of packed hospital
wards and mortuaries, China recorded only about 80,000 Covid deaths in
hospitals in the two months after dropping its curbs.
Some experts say the actual toll was far higher, as many
patients die at home and doctors were widely reported to have been discouraged
from reporting Covid as a cause of death.
“With continuous efforts to optimise Covid-19 prevention and
control measures since November 2022, China’s Covid-19 response has made a
smooth transition in a relatively short time,” China’s Politburo Standing
Committee (PSC) said in a meeting on Thursday (Feb 16).
“A major decisive victory in epidemic prevention and control
has been achieved,” it said, adding that China’s efforts led to more than 200
million people getting medical treatment, including nearly 800,000 severe
cases.
However, leaders cautioned that while the situation is
improving, the virus is still spreading globally and continues to mutate,
according to state media.
The meeting stressed that China will increase the
vaccination rate for the elderly, and strengthen the supply and production of
medical goods. The PSC, China’s most powerful leadership body, urged all
localities and departments to strengthen the medical service system, according
to the report from the official Xinhua news agency.
The statement did not say how many had died from Covid, and
comes weeks before China holds its annual parliamentary session and as
policymakers look to revive an economy battered by three years of Covid
restrictions.
In December, China suddenly dismantled President Xi
Jinping’s signature zero-Covid policy following historic protests, unleashing
the coronavirus across a population that had been largely shielded from the
disease since it emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019.
Many countries and the World Health Organization have
speculated China was underreporting deaths for months, with some experts
predicting earlier that Covid could lead to at least one million deaths in the
country this year.
Despite fears that the massive migration of travellers
during the Chinese New Year would lead to an explosion of cases, the government
recently said the Covid situation was at a “low level” after the holidays.
REUTERS
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