The Chinese government has pledged to improve medical care and drug supplies in light of the sharply rising Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection levels as a result of the relaxation of its tight zero-COVID policy measures.
State news agency Xinhua reported on Wednesday that Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan urged for a “smooth transition” from earlier restrictive measures aimed at containing the virus’ spread to the essential medical care for individuals sick.
Beijing made a startling U-turn last week when it announced a broad relaxing of China’s lockdown regulations, quarantine requirements, obligatory testing, and travel restrictions, which caused the number of cases to soar.
Authorities no longer seek PCR tests and no longer provide accurate information on the virus’s spread across the nation.
Due to widespread employee infection, many companies, stores, and restaurants in the capital are currently closed.
Naturally, the sudden move caught many hospitals off guard, and the high caseload among the staff made things much more difficult.
Authorities have advised those who are ill to take it easy at home rather than visit a hospital, if at all possible.
The supply of cold and fever medications has run low in several pharmacies.
Therefore, during her tour on Tuesday, Sun emphasized the need for more staff members and extra fever clinics.
The vice premier emphasized the importance of better protecting vulnerable populations, including the elderly, kids, those with pre-existing diseases, pregnant women, and others.
According to Xinhua, Sun also emphasized “the necessity to effectively link the COVID-19 response with economic and social growth.”
This can be interpreted as a clue to one of the causes of the policy change, as numerous lockdowns and other measures have negatively affected the growth of the second-largest economy in the world.
