China’s Sichuan province faces surge in Covid-19 cases

Beijing [China], December 27 (ANI): Over 60 per cent of people surveyed in the Chinese province of Sichuan said that they tested positive for Covid-19, NHK World reported citing a survey.

The authorities in Sichuan province conducted an online survey where 158,500 people participated and 63 per cent said their PCR or antigen test results came back positive. The province has a population of approximately 83 million.

Meanwhile, the Sichuan Center for Disease Control and Prevention said the true percentage of infected people was likely higher, since nearly 30 per cent of those who did not undergo any tests complained of symptoms such as fever and cough, according to NHK World.

The surge in cases comes after China relaxed its coronavirus containment measures on December 7. The Chinese media said that the fever medications and antigen test kits are sold out or their prices are surging in parts of Shandong and Yunnan provinces, as per NHK World.

Meanwhile, cases have surged since China largely dismantled its zero-tolerance policy towards the coronavirus in recent weeks, inducing nationwide shortages of test kits and medication. The intensity and magnitude of the country’s first nationwide outbreak have remained largely a mystery as official figures from the central government remain low, reported The New York Times (NYT).

The government has a narrow definition of which deaths should count as caused by Covid. Anecdotal evidence, like social media postings of hospital morgues overcrowded with body bags, is quickly taken down by censors. Now, a picture is emerging of the virus spreading like wildfire. One province and three cities have reported Covid estimates far exceeding official tallies in recent days, reported NYT reported.