China's COVID-19 Situation Worsens: Highly Contagious Viruses | China Truths

Welcome to China Truths. In this episode, we will bring you the following stories. China's COVID-19 situation worsens, highly contagious viruses. Multiple types of virus spreading in Beijing, schools issue notices, peaks in the past two months. Now, let's dive into the details. It's all covered in today's China Truths. China's COVID-19 situation worsens, highly contagious viruses. China's COVID-19 situation is intensifying, with multiple types of virus spreading simultaneously. Hospitals are overwhelmed, schools are suspending classes, and the public is alarmed. While China's CDC claims the current outbreak is due to the norovirus, citizens suspect the authorities are once again hiding the truth. A Chinese citizen said, Recently, hospitals in Beijing, Tianjin, Guangdong, Hunan, Shaanxi, and Zhejiang have been overcrowded. At Beijing Children's Hospital, night clinics are seeing queues with hundreds of patients. A Chinese independent media source stated, respiratory infections are surging in Beijing. At the Children's Hospital, the night clinic queue reached over 590 patients. This is an infection peak. Please take precautions. Mr. Luo, a parent from Shaanxi, noted, cough and fever are common symptoms. There are so many people getting four drips that the corridors and emergency rooms are packed. Beds for critical cases are completely unavailable. Mr. Li, a parent from Beijing, added, In our parent groups, children are calling in sick daily. My child caught a cold recently. The hospital said it was a viral infection. There's a noticeable increase in colds, fevers, and coughs lately. On December 2, China's National Emergency Broadcast Center reported multiple outbreaks of group infections caused by the norovirus. Known for causing acute infectious diarrhea, norovirus infections are entering their peak season. Experts from the CDC claim that norovirus is highly contagious and currently has no specific medications or vaccines available. A resident from Liaoning, Mr. Zhang, described the symptoms, Norovirus is truly severe. I couldn't eat even a bite of food or drink water. It's terrible, absolutely miserable. Since October, China has reported several group infections caused by norovirus. For example, on November 5, three classes at a primary school in Xiangyuan District, Shiyuan City, Hubei Province, were infected, forcing the school to close. On November 30, the National CDC issued a disinfection guideline, stating that norovirus is universally infectious across all age groups. Many citizens and parents question whether norovirus is being used as a cover-up for a resurgence of COVID-19. One citizen remarked, Brothers and sisters, I strongly suspect I've contracted a new COVID-19 variant. It started with a dry, scratchy throat, like swallowing razor blades. Political commentator Li Lini said the Chinese government's cover-up of the epidemic is severe. From the very beginning, it has consistently downplayed the seriousness of the outbreak, and it continues to do so now. A doctor in Guangzhou echoed these sentiments, noting that authorities habitually conceal the true scale of COVID-19 infections and statistics. Dr. Le Kang, a Guangzhou clinic physician, shared, Back in December two years ago, during the massive COVID outbreak, it was estimated that one billion people were infected. The authorities simply ordered local entities not to report it. Multiple types of virus spreading in Beijing, schools issue notices, peaks in the past two months. Recently, multiple types of virus have been spreading across mainland China, leading to long hospital queues, particularly for children. Many children have been infected, with some contracting up to five types of virus in a single month. In some classrooms, half of the students are on leave. A Beijing school issued a notice stating that in the past two months, the spread of multiple types of virus, including COVID-19, has reached its peak. On December 7, the National Health Commission of China held a press conference, reporting that nationwide monitoring results show an upward trend in acute respiratory infections, with cases among those under 14 years old increasing. Common pathogens detected in outpatient and inpatient cases include rhinovirus, mycoplasma pneumoniae, parainfluenza virus, adenovirus, and respiratory syncytial virus among children aged from 0 to 4 years old. For children aged from 5 to 14 years old, rhinovirus, mycoplasma pneumoniae, influenza virus, and parainfluenza virus dominate. A parent shared online that in their child's class of 30 students, half were absent due to fever, headaches, and nausea. Another parent in Tianjin reported overcrowded hospitals and resorted to private clinics for treatment due to the long wait times. A notice issued by a Beijing school stated that, based on health and disease control warnings, the city is entering its influenza season, with peaks expected between late December and early January. COVID-19 infections are expected to fluctuate slightly until mid-January, and the detection rates for mycoplasma pneumoniae and rhinovirus remain high. One Beijing parent reported that their child contracted five different types of virus in a single month. A netizen from Inner Mongolia remarked, children's hospitals are as crowded as train stations during the Lunar New Year rush. Another Guangdong resident said, two-thirds of the teachers in our department are showing cold symptoms. The throat pain is no less severe than the first time I caught COVID, like razor blades cutting through my mouth, throat, and nasal cavity. Parents have also shared their children's struggles with ongoing illnesses online. I don't even want to talk about it. My child started coughing in August. Just as they seemed to recover, it came back. Raising a child has driven me to despair. The coughing hasn't stopped, and medicine doesn't help. My child has rhinitis. We've tried several antibiotics, but nothing works. We're dealing with rhinitis, adenoiditis, and mycoplasma pneumoniae. It's been a month and a half of coughing. A Weibo user, Dr. Lu Xiao from Zhejiang University's Second Hospital Emergency Department, noted, recently, many of our healthcare workers have also been sick. Take care of yourselves. Previously, reports indicated that hospitals in Beijing, Tianjin, Guangdong, Hunan, Shaanxi, and Zhejiang were overwhelmed. Beijing Children's Hospital alone had overnight queues reaching several hundred patients. Amid the widespread infections, a notable increase in celebrity deaths has been observed, but the Chinese authorities continue to conceal the pandemic's severity, leaving the true situation unknown to the outside world.