\u201cAt present, Covid-19 prevention and control in China are facing a new situation and new tasks,\u201d Xi says
\n BEIJING
\nChinese President Xi Jinping urged officials on Monday to take steps to protect lives in his first public remarks on Covid-19 since Beijing dramatically loosened hardline containment measures this month.
\nHaving mostly cut itself off from the rest of the world during the pandemic, China is now experiencing the planet\u2019s biggest surge in infections after abruptly lifting restrictions that torpedoed the economy.
\nStudies have estimated that around one million people could die over the next few months. Many in the population are now grappling with shortages of medicine, while emergency medical facilities are strained by an influx of undervaccinated elderly patients.
\n\u201cAt present, Covid-19 prevention and control in China are facing a new situation and new tasks,\u201d Xi said in a directive, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
\n\u201cWe should launch the patriotic health campaign in a more targeted way… fortify a community line of defence for epidemic prevention and control, and effectively protect people\u2019s lives, safety and health,\u201d Xi said.
\nHospitals and crematoriums across the country have been overflowing with Covid patients and victims, while China\u2019s National Health Commission on Sunday announced it would stop publishing daily nationwide infection and death statistics.
\nThe decision to scrap the daily virus count comes amid concerns that the country\u2019s blooming wave of infections is not being accurately reflected in official statistics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cAt present, Covid-19 prevention and control in China are facing a new situation and new tasks,\u201d Xi says BEIJING Chinese President Xi Jinping urged officials on Monday to take steps to protect lives in his first public remarks on Covid-19 since Beijing dramatically loosened hardline containment measures this month. Having mostly cut itself off from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":292075,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[610],"class_list":{"0":"post-303660","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-xi-jinping"},"yoast_head":"\n