China Covid news latest: Beijing threatens retaliation over travel rules as ‘70% of Shanghai infected’

Chatting with broadcasters in regards to the pressures dealing with A&E models, well being secretary Steve Barclay has stated the federal government is targeted on “getting the individuals out of the hospital who don’t have to be there” as a way to “velocity up the ambulance handover delays”.

“It has at all times been a part of the popularity of the pressures of Covid that that might have an effect on individuals looking for providers through the pandemic, for instance, individuals had been extra reluctant to go and see their GPs. That specifically has had an influence on cardiovascular threat,” stated Mr Barclay.

“There’s different components as effectively by way of the backlogs on operations. Sure, it’s essential that we get the ambulances to individuals rapidly, as effectively however there’s a variety of things which have performed in, notably into these cardiovascular deaths, which is the prime challenge once we’re wanting on the problem by way of extra deaths.

“So, that is one thing the chief medical officer, the NHS medical director have been taking a look at very carefully.

“It’s why we’re so targeted on getting the individuals out of the hospital who don’t have to be there as a result of that in flip will velocity up the ambulance handover delays and get these ambulances again out responding to calls.”

The European Union’s well being safety committee has introduced that member states have agreed on a “coordinated strategy” to the altering Covid-19 state of affairs – together with implications for elevated journey from China.

The committee has labored on focused measures, together with pre-departure testing for travellers from China, elevated wastewater monitoring and elevated home surveillance, stated EU well being chief Stella Kyriakides.

Over the previous week, nonetheless, EU nations have reacted unilaterally to the disaster in China, disregarding an earlier dedication to behave in unity.

China has appeared to reject a suggestion of Covid variant-adapted vaccine donations from the European Union, introduced by the EU government on Tuesday.

Chinese language overseas ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that the state of affairs was “beneath management” and medical provisions “in ample provide” – however added that China was open to “strengthening solidarity and cooperation with the worldwide group” to raised meet its pandemic challenges.

Nevertheless, China can “meet the demand of anybody who needs to be vaccinated”, he stated. It was not clear what number of vaccines had been being provided by the EU.

China has to date insisted on utilizing solely Chinese language-made vaccines – that are of the inactivated virus sort and never based mostly on the Western mRNA expertise – for its personal inhabitants.

Main scientists advising the World Well being Organisation have stated they need a “extra sensible image” of the coronavirus state of affairs from China’s high specialists at a key assembly at present.

The WHO has invited Chinese language scientists to a digital closed assembly with its technical advisory group on viral evolution, to current knowledge on which variants are circulating within the nation.

“We wish to see a extra sensible image of what’s really happening,” Professor Marion Koopmans, a Dutch virologist who sits on the WHO committee informed Reuters, claiming that a few of the knowledge from Beijing, equivalent to that on hospitalisation numbers, is “not very credible”.

“It’s within the pursuits of China itself to return ahead with extra dependable data.”

Prof Koopmans stated the committee has solely seen a “tiny fraction” of China’s instances sequenced to date – round 700 – and referred to as for the institution of a worldwide surveillance community to maintain observe of the virus, saying: “Proper now, what we’re getting may be very patchy, however that has been the fact in different elements of the world as effectively.”

Along with the federal government’s recent restrictions on journey for these leaving China, UK well being authorities have urged individuals to stay at residence the place attainable and put on a face protecting exterior if they’re feeling unwell.

Whereas transport secretary Mark Harper agreed that “sporting a masks may be very wise in case you are unwell”, Downing Road has burdened that the UK Health Security Agency guidance is “not obligatory”.

“I feel that’s fairly longstanding recommendation,” stated Rishi Sunak’s official spokesperson. “It stays well being recommendation to the general public – it isn’t obligatory. Folks want their judgment. Actually individuals will proceed to make use of their good sense, having spent a very long time dealing … with these sorts of infectious diseases.”

Questioned whether or not it was actually “longstanding” recommendation for individuals to put on face coverings if they’re battling a chilly, the No 10 official replied: “That’s not what the recommendation says.

“What you’ll see is, as has usually been the case, if individuals are unwell, they’re suggested to remain at residence. Clearly individuals can select to put on a masks in the event that they want to. It isn’t obligatory. That is recommendation from UKHSA moderately than authorities ministers telling individuals what to do, as we noticed through the peak of the pandemic earlier than the emergence of vaccines.”

China on Tuesday hit again at governments who’ve imposed travelling restrictions on the nation by arguing that Covid-19 measures ought to be “science-based” and warned of attainable “countermeasures”.

Greater than a dozen nations, together with the UK and the US, have made it obligatory for travellers from China to point out a unfavourable Covid take a look at earlier than arrival. Morocco has imposed a whole ban on individuals arriving from China over the monumental rise in coronavirus instances plaguing the nation.

Some federal governments have cited Beijing’s lack of transparency round an infection knowledge and the chance of recent variants as the explanation behind new laws.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar studies:

Downing Road has rejected any suggestion that the brand new guidelines for Chinese language travellers may sign a wider change for guests travelling to the UK from nations with excessive charges of Covid.

The PM’s official spokesman stated: “Part of the explanation for this was due to an absence of complete well being data being shared.

“We’re working with the Chinese language authorities to encourage them – we’re not alone on this – to get extra data from them.”

Beijing has condemned the “unacceptable” introduction of Covid testing on passengers arriving from China to a number of nations.

Chinese language officers stated the entry restrictions “lack scientific foundation” and threatened retaliatory motion.

International ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated: “We’re firmly against makes an attempt to control the Covid measures for political functions and can take counter-measures based mostly on the precept of reciprocity.”

My colleague Liam James has the small print:

As China battles a large surge in Covid instances, a senior physician at one in all Shanghai’s high hospitals has claimed that 70 per cent of the town’s inhabitants has been contaminated.

The wave of instances comes after the Communist regime loosened draconian Covid restrictions in a single day, overwhelming hospitals and crematoriums.

Chen Erzhen, vp at Ruijin Hospital in Shanghai and a member of the town’s Covid-19 skilled advisory panel, was quoted as saying nearly all of the town’s 25 million individuals might have been contaminated.

Maroosha Muzaffar studies: