China's retreat from 'zero-COVID' turns messy
STORY: Video obtained by Reuters show people receiving IV drips on the street in central China.
It's a worrying sign that a wave of COVID infections is building after the country last week began dismantling its tough 'zero-COVID' controls,
In another video released on Monday, patients are seen receiving IV drips in their cars in the same province of Hubei.
These are just some of the increasing signs of chaos in China, as it battles a COVID surge while racing to vaccinate its most vulnerable people.
The World Health Organization said on Wednesday the virus was out of control China, well before the easing of restrictions following widespread protests.
WHO emergencies director Mike Ryan said it was a strategic decision to pivot away from President Xi's flagship policy:
“There's a little narrative at the moment that in some way, China lifted the restrictions and all of a sudden, the disease is out of control. The disease was spreading intensively because I believe the control measures in themselves were not stopping the disease. And I believe that the Chinese authorities have decided strategically that that, for them is not the best option anymore.”
In Beijing on Thursday, long queues were forming outside pharmacy stores, as residents rushed to pick up extra medicines.
There were similar scenes outside fever clinics in the capital.
One local resident Reuters spoke to said he was worried about how fast the virus was spreading.
China reported 2,000 new symptomatic COVID-19 infections for Wednesday, compared with 2,291 a day earlier.
But the official figures have become an unreliable guide as less testing is being done in the country.
On Wednesday, China's National Health Commission announced it would roll out a second COVID-19 vaccine booster shot for high-risk groups and people over 60 years old.
