China working to strengthen hospitals amid surge in COVID cases

A cabinet meeting in China called for the “full mobilization” of hospitals as the country eases its pandemic restrictions, The Associated Press reported.

Citing state media, the AP reported that a Thursday cabinet meeting called for increasing drug supplies and adding hospital staff to ensure their “combat effectiveness.”

In the western province of Shaanxi, officials have set aside 22,000 hospital beds and are ready to increase their intensive care unit capacity by 20 percent.

The efforts follow nearly three years of a strict “zero-COVID” policy, with China now signaling a shift in its virus strategy. 

Last week, officials rolled back regular mandatory testing and eased lockdown requirements when a positive case is identified.

Officials were instructed to keep track of the health of all residents aged 65 and older.

Infected people who are asymptomatic or exhibit mild symptoms should be treated at home to leave beds for patients with more severe cases, according to new government guidelines published on Thursday, state media reported.

The changes came after protests erupted in cities across China, a rare show of defiance against Xi Jinping, China’s paramount leader, and the Chinese Communist Party.

The protesters took to the streets after some blamed the government’s strict COVID-19 mitigation for hindering the emergency response to a deadly apartment fire in the city of Urumqi that killed 10 people.

China in recent weeks has seen elevated case levels that days ago surpassed previous records. 

Daily cases have fallen from a daily average of roughly 40,000 cases seen earlier this month, but the fall in the official figures comes as mandatory testing that covers a large share of the population ends, with hospitals gearing up for a wave of cases.