Shanghai hospital warns of ‘tragic battle’ as Covid spreads

Health workers wait for people to scan a health code to test for COVID-19 in the Jing’an district in Shanghai Thursday. Pic/AFP

A Shanghai hospital has told its staff to prepare for a "tragic battle" with Covid-19 as it expects half of the city's 25 million people to get infected by the end of the year while the virus sweeps through China largely unchecked.

After widespread protests and a relentless rise in cases, China this month took an abrupt shift in policies and began dismantling its "zero-Covid" regime, which has taken a great financial and psychological toll on its 1.4 billion people.

Still, China's official death count since the pandemic began three years ago stands at 5,241 - a fraction of what most other countries faced. China reported no new Covid deaths for a second consecutive day for Dec. 21, even as funeral parlour workers say demand has jumped in the past week, pushing fees higher.

Authorities - who have narrowed the criteria for Covid deaths, prompting criticism from many disease experts - confirmed 3,89,306 cases with symptoms. Some experts say official figures have become an unreliable guide as there is less testing following the easing of restrictions. Experts say China could face more than a million Covid deaths next year, given relatively low full vaccination rates among its vulnerable elderly population.

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China limits how it defines Covid deaths

China only counts deaths from pneumonia or respiratory failure in its official Covid-19 death toll, a Chinese health official said, a narrow definition that limits the number of deaths being reported as the virus surges following easing of pandemic-related restrictions.

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