Coronavirus: China’s hospitals seem to be filling up – WHO

Hospitals in China appear to be filling up amid concerns about a fresh Covid-19 wave hitting the country, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.

Dr Michael Ryan says intensive care units (ICU) are busy despite officials saying numbers are “relatively low”.

Since 2020, China has imposed strict health restrictions as part of its zero Covid policy.     

But, the government ended most of those measures two weeks ago after landmark protests against the strict controls.

The number of cases has since soared, raising fears of a high mortality rate among the elderly, who are particularly vulnerable.

Despite the rise, the official figures show only five people died from Covid on Tuesday and two on Monday.

Speaking during a weekly news conference in Geneva WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he is “very concerned over the evolving situation in China”.

He appealed for specific data on disease severity, hospital admissions and intensive care requirements.