90% of people Covid positive in China's third most populous province, claims official
The figure suggests that 88.5 million people in Henan province tested positive. Amid China's alarming surge in cases, an expert claimed last week that nearly 70 per cent of the population in Shanghai is aleady infected with Covid.
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FollowOver 90 per cent of China's third most populous province has been infected with COVID, an official said on Monday, January 9, 2023. This comes amid an alarming surge in Covid cases in China which has raised globally concerned, prompting multiple countries to impose travel restrictions on Chinese tourists.
The director of the health commission for central Henan province, Kan Quancheng, said during a press conference that 'as of January 6, 2023, the province's Covid infection rate is 89 per cent,' according to the AFP.
The figure suggests that 88.5 million people in Henan province tested positive. Amid China's alarming surge in cases, an expert claimed last week that nearly 70 per cent of the population in Shanghai is aleady infected with Covid.
While talking to Dajiangdong Studio, which is owned by state media People's Daily, Ruijin Hospital's vice president and a member of Shanghai's Covid expert advisory panel, Chen Erzhen, said, "The epidemic has now spread across Shanghai and may have reached 70 per cent of the population, which is 20 to 30 times higher than the national average (in April and May).
Since last month's relaxation of the zero-Covid-19 policy, China has witnessed a significant surge in Covid cases. According to the report by the London-based analytics firm Airfinity, over 250 million Chinese people were infected with the virus in the first 20 days of December.
Following the massive and sudden outbreak of Covid infection in China, many countries, including the United States, South Korea, India, Italy, the UK, France, Japan and Taiwan, imposed mandatory Covid tests for Chinese travellers. In response, China hit out at the countries for imposing travel restrictions on its tourists. Last week, Beijing warned it might take 'counter measures' in response.
During a press briefing, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, "Some countries have imposed entry restrictions aimed solely at Chinese tourists. This lacks scientific basis, and some of the methods used are unacceptable," Mao Ning continued, warning China could 'take countermeasures based on the principle of reciprocity'.
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