Amid strict measures to contain the spread of the disease, the city of Zhengzhou said it will no longer require a negative Covid-19 test from children under 3 and other “special groups” seeking healthcare.
The announcement came after a second child died due to an overactive antivirus app. The 4-month-old girl died after suffering from stomach and intestinal problems while quarantined in a hotel in Zhengzhou.
While the overall vaccination rate in China is over 92% after it has received at least one dose, that figure is much lower among the elderly — especially those over 80 — dropping to just 65%.
This vulnerability is one of the reasons China has kept its borders closed and maintained its strict “Covid-19” policy that seeks to stamp out infections through lockdowns, quarantines, case tracing and mass testing, despite the impact on red tape, the economy and public discontent.
China says its tough approach has paid off with far fewer cases and deaths than in other countries such as the United States. With a population of 1.4 billion, it has officially recorded only 286,197 cases since the virus was first detected in Wuhan in late 2019. That compares to 98.3 million cases and 1 million deaths in the United States, which has a population of 331.9 million.
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