On Sunday, China reported its first Covid-19 fatality in over six months, as authorities in Beijing imposed fresh restrictions, shifted schools online, closed workplaces and restaurants in the city’s most populous neighborhood, Chaoyang, and urged locals to stay home unless absolutely necessary.
Overall, China reported 24,435 new Covid-19 infections on November 19, down from 24,473 the day before, according to the national health commission (NHC). Beijing reported 516 new illnesses up until 3 p.m. on Sunday. It is a modest amount by global standards but high enough for local authorities to apply city-wide restrictions without proclaiming a lockdown with the “zero-Covid” policy.
Beijing reported 621 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, with 122 discovered outside quarantine zones via community-level test screening. With the city registering a record number of cases almost daily, the death of an 87-year-old man from Covid-19 in a Beijing hospital is fueling fears of new restrictions.
“It is necessary to optimize various prevention and control measures in a strict, tight, scientific and accurate manner, strengthen the prevention and control of social aspects in key areas and key streets and townships, and further reduce the degree of crowd activity,” Liu Xiaofeng, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, stated on Sunday.
The additional death pushed China’s total death toll to 5,227, with prior deaths recorded from Shanghai, which experienced an increase in cases and a brutal two-month lockdown earlier this year.
Lung Infection
According to CCTV news, the 87-year-old died on Saturday of sepsis caused by a major lung infection. The guy was apparently suffering from dry cough symptoms on November 11. He was found to be Covid-19 positive two days later. The majority of Beijing’s 16 districts have issued advisories via their official media accounts urging residents to limit cross-district transportation and prevent unnecessary excursions.
In other news, Guangzhou, China’s southernmost city, recorded 8,434 new locally transmitted diseases on Saturday, down from 8,713 the day before. According to the NHC’s daily bulletin, the southwestern city of Chongqing recorded 4,710 new locally transmitted diseases, up from 4,744 the day before.
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