Beijing, Dec 21: China is grappling with an inexplicable surge in new Covid-19 cases. The alarm bells are ringing. Once again. As per the report on Reuters, China on Tuesday reported no new Covid-19-related deaths even as the country is reportedly registering a large surge of their everyday cases – only a month after the Chinese government lifted nearly three years of lockdowns.
As per the National Health Commission, China’s total number of fatalities due to coronavirus stands at 5,241.
According to a few estimates, China is running the risk of around 2 million deaths due to the recent rise in Covid-19 cases.
One epidemiologist, in a viral tweet, has projected that 60% of the country’s population could end up being infected over the course of the next few months.
Also Read: Meghalaya scores 24th rank in the country in Social Progress Index
Here are the top 5 points on the Covid-19 surge in China:
- China reported 3,101 new symptomatic Coronavirus infections on Tuesday – as compared with 2,722 cases the previous day. A total of 3,049 new local cases were recorded – 393 more as compared to 2,656 infections on Monday. Currently, mainland China has confirmed a total of 386,276 cases with symptoms.
- According to the National Health Commission, the country did not record any new Covid-19 related deaths. On Monday, China saw five Covid deaths.
- Several World Health Organization (WHO) advisors have said that it may be “too early to declare the end of the Covid-19 pandemic emergency phase because of a potentially devastating wave to come in China”, reported Reuters.
- A top scientist – Eric Feigl-Ding – on Monday warned that “over 60 percent of China’s and 10 percent of the Earth’s population will probably be infected over the next 90 days’ and that the deaths will ‘likely (be) in the millions”.
- Meanwhile, the United States has said that it stands ready to assist China with its surging Covid-19 outbreak. “We’re prepared to continue to support countries around the world, including China, on this and other Coronavirus-related health support,” US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a daily press briefing. “For us, this is not about politics, this is not about geopolitics,” he added.
