Two reporters from Chinese state media died of Covid-19 in the capital Beijing in recent days, media said on Friday, among the first deaths reported since the government abandoned its strict “Covid-zero” policy of restrictions and lockdowns.
Yang Lianghua, 74, a former People’s Daily reporter, died on Thursday, while Zhou Zhichun, 77, a former editor of China Youth Daily, died a week earlier, financial magazine Caixin said, citing their families. .
China’s national health authority has not reported any official deaths from Covid-19 since easing some of the country’s stringent epidemic control policies on Dec. 12. The latest official deaths were reported on December 3 in Shandong and Sichuan provinces.
The reports of the deaths come as China unveiled urgent plans on Friday to protect rural communities from the virus, as millions of urban residents plan what to do for the Lunar New Year holiday starting in January for the first time in years.
China’s move last week to begin aligning itself with a world that has cracked open to live with the virus followed unprecedented protests against President Xi Jinping’s harsh measures designed to eradicate Covid-19.
But enthusiasm for this turn of events has cooled amid fears that China is ill-prepared for the next wave of infections and the impact it could have on the world’s second-largest economy.
China reported 2,157 new symptomatic Covid-19 infections on Thursday, up from 2,000 the day before.
The official numbers, however, don’t capture the full picture, as testing has slowed and run counter to signs of wider uptake in cities where long lines outside doctors’ surgeries and empty shelves in pharmacies have become a common sight. .
Concern is growing in mainland China ahead of the Lunar New Year, when rural areas are expected to be inundated with travelers returning to their cities and hometowns, who have had little exposure to the virus during the three years since the outbreak of the pandemic.
China’s National Health Commission said on Friday it was ramping up vaccinations and stockpiling essential medicines and testing kits in rural areas. He also advised travelers to reduce contact with elderly relatives.
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Source: Terra
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
