search

90% of Chinese province residents, 88 million people, estimated to have gotten COVID

Official mentions sky-high figure in country’s third-most populous province Henan, following China’s major policy change of reopening after years of ‘zero infection’ attempt

A passenger, wearing a personal protective equipment, walks at the arrival area at the Capital International Airport in Beijing on January 8, 2023. (Noel CELIS / AFP)
A passenger, wearing a personal protective equipment, walks at the arrival area at the Capital International Airport in Beijing on January 8, 2023. (Noel CELIS / AFP)

BEIJING, China — 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%.”

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 a continuous downward trend was observed.”

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.

People wait for their relatives at the arrivals area for international flights at the Capital International Airport in Beijing on January 8, 2023. (Noel CELIS / AFP)

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 traveled 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.

read more:
Never miss breaking news on Israel
Get notifications to stay updated
You're subscribed
image
Register for free
and continue reading
Registering also lets you comment on articles and helps us improve your experience. It takes just a few seconds.
Already registered? Enter your email to sign in.
Please use the following structure: [email protected]
Or Continue with
By registering you agree to the terms and conditions. Once registered, you’ll receive our Daily Edition email for free.
Register to continue
Or Continue with
Log in to continue
Sign in or Register
Or Continue with
check your email
Check your email
We sent an email to you at .
It has a link that will sign you in.