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Infusions on the side of the road, right in front of a fever clinic: The U-turn in dealing with the corona virus is causing the number of infections to skyrocket in China - with serious consequences.
The health system is at its limit.
Shan residents:
“There are actually a lot of positive cases now. If you have a cold, it is actually always Covid. I've been infected before, but if you stay at home for a few days, take medication and drink a lot of water, the test will be negative after two or three days. That's not a big problem.«
Original sound: »We have no more medicine!«
Not only are hospitals overwhelmed, pharmacies are also running out of certain medicines.
Like here in Beijing, many people want to stock up on remedies for colds and fevers.
Xie, residents:
“I'm definitely worried that I'll get infected too. After all, the virus is spreading so quickly, especially now that the whole country has reopened. I'm afraid I'll get sick too.«
Hospitals have to cope with an onslaught of Covid patients, at the same time health workers are also getting infected in droves.
About 37,000 fever clinics have been opened nationwide in China, according to the National Health Commission.
These contact points for easily infected people have long since reached their capacity limits in Beijing.
The authorities called on the population to cure the disease at home if possible and not to flock to the clinics.
China had followed a rigid zero-Covid strategy for almost three years.
Individual corona outbreaks were combated with strict lockdown measures, the national corona app made travel more difficult and PCR tests were mandatory in many areas of life.
Test stations are now being dismantled in many places, and the exact number of cases can no longer be determined.
According to reports, many people in Beijing, the hotspot of the current wave, are unsettled despite the easing.
Because of the high risk of infection, many stayed at home, Beijing seemed to be extinct.
The strongest Corona wave also has consequences for the second largest economy in the world.
Many companies, shops and restaurants are paralyzed because the majority of employees are ill.
The zero-Covid turnaround by the Chinese government was actually intended to achieve exactly the opposite.
Because the many lockdowns, movement restrictions and coercive measures had recently had a severe impact on China's economic growth.