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According to reports, there has been a significant increase in respiratory illnesses, particularly among children, overwhelming pediatric units in Chinese city hospitals. Authorities are encouraging calm, attributing this surge to a post-lockdown wave of illnesses, as per media accounts. State and other media sources in China have highlighted the strain on many hospital wards, with The Guardian noting that several Beijing hospitals, including the Beijing Children’s Hospital, are facing a surge in patients. The hospital reportedly received up to 9,378 patients daily and has been operating at full capacity for the past two months. Outpatient clinics, pediatric departments, and respiratory units in Beijing hospitals are reportedly fully booked for at least a week.
Visuals shared online and on state media depicted crowded waiting rooms and hallways lined with beds in a Hebei hospital. Parents in Jinan mentioned that approximately half of their child’s class was unwell. Furthermore, there were reports of students doing homework while hospitalized, prompting warnings from local officials against pressuring sick children to catch up on their studies. In Hangzhou, classes were reportedly suspended due to the high number of absent children.
Although available data indicates that flu-like illnesses have doubled compared to recent years, authorities are urging people to remain calm, attributing the rise in cases to the onset of the first flu season following the lifting of pandemic restrictions, as reported by The Guardian.
