cdn mobile

90% of people in China province infected with COVID-19–official

By: Agence France Presse - Inquirer.net | January 09,2023 - 03:04 PM

90% of people in China province infected with COVID-19–official. Passengers crowd Zhengzhou East Railway Station one day ahead of the National Day holidays, in Zhengzhou in China’s central Henan province on September 30, 2022. (Photo by AFP)

Passengers crowd Zhengzhou East Railway Station one day ahead of the National Day holidays, in Zhengzhou in China’s central Henan province on September 30, 2022. (Photo by AFP)

BEIJING — Almost 90 percent of people in China’s third most populous province have now been infected with Covid-19, a top official said Monday, as the country battles an unprecedented surge in cases.

Kan Quancheng, director of the health commission for central Henan province, told a press conference that “as of January 6, 2023, the province’s Covid infection rate is 89.0 percent.”

With a population of 99.4 million, the figures suggest about 88.5 million people in Henan may now have been infected.

Visits to fever clinics peaked on December 19, Kan said, “after which it showed a continuous downward trend”.

China is battling a surge in cases following its decision last month to lift years of lockdowns, quarantines and mass testing that had hammered its economy and sparked rare nationwide protests.

And Beijing is determined to press on with its reopening, on Sunday lifting mandatory quarantine for all international arrivals and opening its border with the semi-autonomous southern city of Hong Kong.

But infections are expected to soar as the country celebrates Lunar New Year later this month, with millions expected to travel from big cities to visit vulnerable older relatives in the countryside.

In the first wave of pre-holiday travel, official data showed 34.7 million people travelled domestically on Saturday — up by more than a third compared to last year, according to state media.

Official data showed last week that just 120,000 people have been infected and 30 died since China relaxed Covid curbs in early December.

But with Beijing having last month narrowed the definition of Covid deaths and mass testing no longer compulsory, its data is no longer reflective of the true scale of the outbreak.

RELATED STORIES

Chinese authorities call on retired soldiers to help Foxconn iPhone plant -SSN

China’s COVID-19 cases rise, record daily numbers seen in Beijing and other cities

For more news about the novel coronavirus click here.
What you need to know about Coronavirus.
For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH Hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.

The Inquirer Foundation supports our healthcare frontliners and is still accepting cash donations to be deposited at Banco de Oro (BDO) current account #007960018860 or donate through PayMaya using this link.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

Read Next

Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.

TAGS: Cebu Daily News, cebu news, COVID-19
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.