The world is facing a new wave of COVID-19 in China in a piecemeal manner [VIDEO]

The US has joined countries that systematically test travelers from China, but a European Union (EU) agency deemed the measure “unjustified” despite the wave of COVID-19 hitting the Asian country.

A new outbreak began after China to end on December 7 without notice its draconian zero covid policy since the first wave of the disease first identified three years ago in Wuhan (center).

These measures made it possible to protect the population from COVID-19with widespread detection tests and movement monitoring, as well as strict lockdowns and quarantines when infections are detected.

But the policy hit the economy and frazzled the population, which in November led protests unprecedented in three decades against the communist government.

The change in official position was abrupt and provoked the infection.

A new global health crisis?

China’s National Health Commission has stopped publishing the daily number of coronavirus cases. COVID-19but authorities in several cities believe hundreds of thousands have contracted the disease in recent weeks, while hospitals and crematoria across the country are overwhelmed.

Authorities have also changed the criteria for determining death from coronavirus to include only deaths caused by respiratory failure.

The new wave has raised fears of a new global health crisis, given the interest of many Chinese in traveling abroad once restrictions are lifted.

Japan, India, Malaysia, Taiwan, Italy and the United States have announced restrictive measures requiring recent anti-COVID tests to be presented or taken at airports.

“The recent rapid growth in transmission COVID-19 in China increases the likelihood of new variants of the virus emerging,” a senior U.S. health official told reporters.

But the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) deemed this Thursday “unjustified” for the introduction of these measures.

In Brussels, an informal meeting convened by the European Commission aimed at a “coordinated approach” of member states did not lead to any solution.

For its part, Beijing criticized the “exaggeration, slander and political manipulation” of the Western press.

On Thursday, the Chinese at Beijing International Airport were generally sympathetic to the measures.

But a 22-year-old man named Hu said the rules were unnecessary and “a bit discriminatory.”

overcrowded hospitals

Hospitals China They are struggling to cope with the rise in infections, which particularly affect the elderly and vulnerable.

AFP journalists watched as masked patients were admitted to ambulances at a Shanghai hospital on Thursday.

In Tianjin, about 140 kilometers southeast of Beijing, AFP visited two hospital rooms filled with patients with the virus.

The doctor said they were asked to work even if they were infected.

The AFP observed more than twenty patients, mostly elderly, lying on gurneys in public areas of the emergency room, and at least one body removed from the room.

(According to AFP)

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“Espacio Vital”: Emil Blonde Galvez, a psychologist, noted that people feel fear, and this has a huge impact on a person. Although he pointed out that protest is a right, when it becomes violent, it affects people’s mental health, leaving a lot of anxiety and fear. The specialist said that adults have a lot of stress because of the insecurities they have about their jobs, about their belongings, about not getting anything in the midst of a stop and a protest. He added that this situation is very frustrating for people and hopes that everything will go better are dwindling.

Fernando Carvallo selects information and shares his vision of national and international news. sign to our Las cosas newsletter, as they should be reading your daily columns.