As China’s zero-Covid rules ease, demand surges for rapid tests and medication
- E-commerce sites struggle to keep up with consumer demand for test kit and remedies, media report says
- Hospitals across the country preparing for expected influx of cases
In the past week, the country has largely abandoned PCR test requirements for public places and offices but some people still needed to be tested, such as people working in crowded environments, medical facilities and homes for the elderly.
According to the National Health Commission, these people can now do a rapid test at home and report any positive results to health authorities.
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Since the easing, sales of drugs and rapid tests have increased more than 10-fold compared to the same time in October, according to Chinese media reports.
On e-commerce platform JD Health, the number of test kits sold grew by 344 per cent week on week in the seven days from November 28, state broadcaster China National Radio reported on Friday.
Sales of fever, flu, cough and antibacterial medication were also surging, and customers wanting to buy rapid test kits on online shopping platforms, such as Meituan and Dingdang Health, face waits of up to six days.
JD Health said it was working with kit manufacturers to ensure a stable supply of the products, while some pharmaceutical firms were planning to expand their production capacity, according to the report.
The rise in demand for test kits and medications comes amid a surge in Covid-19 infections across the country, although the exact scale of the outbreaks is unclear now that intensive PCR testing is no longer required.
The National Health Commission reported fewer than 15,000 new infections on Saturday, including just 900 new confirmed cases and 1,300 asymptomatic infections in the capital.
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Meanwhile, the NHC said it would improve critical care capacity and resources to meet the expected demand for health services.
China has 3.6 intensive care beds per 100,000 people, compared to 11 in Singapore and 29.4 in the United States.
Jiao added that cities could turn temporary quarantine shelters into “sub-designated hospitals”, which could cater to some categories of patients.
Since early December, the price of Lianhua Qingwen, a traditional Chinese medicine used to treat Covid-19, has risen to 88 yuan from 23.5 yuan on an online pharmaceutical platform, a fourfold increase in less than a month, according to mainland media.
