Covid hits 90 million in just one Chinese province

Almost 90 million people in one of China’s most populous provinces have been infected with coronavirus, an official has revealed.

China’s financial hub of Shanghai is back in the swing as people prepare for their first Lunar New Year celebrations in four years. Picture: AFP

Almost 90 million people in one of China’s most populous provinces have been infected with coronavirus after an abrupt end to its zero-Covid policy, an official has revealed.

Kan Quancheng, director of the health commission for Henan, said that 89 per cent of its people had been infected by last Friday – a stark contrast to the figures from Beijing, which says that only 120,000 infections and 30 deaths were recorded nationwide in the latest wave.

Since December, when President Xi Jinping ordered a halt to the nationwide testing and quarantine regime, China has grappled with outbreaks, even though it reported daily infections ranging between 2000 and 5000, and only a few deaths. In the past week, Covid cases had topped 10,000 a day, it said.

The official numbers have been questioned by the public and by international agencies, including the World Health Organisation, which has accused the Chinese government of “under-representing” the severity of outbreaks and using too narrow a definition for a Covid death.

Beijing has either suspended or banned about 1120 accounts on the social media platform Weibo that have criticised Mr Xi’s policies or the health experts who ­endorsed them.

Newspaper editorials have praised the changes made by Mr Xi to the zero-Covid strategy that he endorsed until popular protests broke out last year.

Yet reports suggest that hospitals are overwhelmed with ­patients and crematoriums are unable to handle the rise in deaths.

The top adviser shaping China’s coronavirus response insisted that winter was the best time for the country to reopen.

In an interview with the state broadcaster CCTV, Liang Wannian acknowledged that the changes had harmed the elderly population, causing many deaths, because the virus had spread faster than expected.

However, he insisted that opening up the country in winter was the best option.

“Last summer we were not able to achieve the desired level of protection for the entire elderly population. The overall national vaccination rate for the elderly was relatively low, so we took ­advantage of these window periods to further strengthen the ­vaccination of the elderly population,” Mr Liang said.

By mid-December 86.6 per cent of the population above 60 had been fully vaccinated and 69 per cent had received a booster shot.

Mr Liang said by the end of last year developments in the pandemic response and within China’s population were an opportunity to adjust its policy.

“The pathogen’s harm has ­decreased, and China’s immunity level increased, including its vaccination rate, especially among the elderly,” he said.

“Furthermore, we have been preparing resources, including drugs and measures to help severe cases.”

The Times