China’s Covid spike not due to lifting of restrictions, WHO director says
- Coronavirus infections were already exploding before Beijing’s shift on its strict zero-Covid policy, emergencies director Mike Ryan said
- WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the same briefing he was hopeful the pandemic will no longer be considered a global emergency some time next year
Covid-19 infections were exploding in China well before the government’s decision to abandon its strict zero-Covid policy, a World Health Organization director said on Wednesday, quashing suggestions that the sudden reversal caused a spike in cases.
The comments by the WHO’s emergencies director Mike Ryan came as he warned of the need to ramp up vaccinations in the world’s No 2 economy.
Speaking at a briefing with media, he said the virus was spreading “intensively” in the nation long before the lifting of restrictions.
“There’s a narrative at the moment that China lifted the restrictions and all of a sudden the disease is out of control,” he said.
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Patients in China hooked up to IV drips in their own cars as clinics are full
“The disease was spreading intensively because, I believe, the control measures in themselves were not stopping the disease. And I believe China decided strategically that was not the best option any more.”