China grapples with ever highest new COVID cases

China on Tuesday reported more than 16500 new COVID cases as the country grappled with ever highest new COVID cases, mounting frustration, and new sub-strain BA.1.1. Shanghai, a city of 25 million, currently under  lockdown, reported more than 13300 new cases, mainly due to BA.2. The National Health Commission  said that the number of new asymptomatic cases in China stood at 15,355. With China's insistence on adhering to its strict “Zero-COVID” strategy, political pressure has been mounting on Shanghai authorities to control the outbreak and address the growing frustration of residents grappling with the costs and inconveniences of the overly strict prevention measures. On Sunday, the ruling Communist Party announced the deployment of thousands of military personnel to the locked-down financial hub to assist in the mandatory testing of all 25 million inhabitants which was finished on Monday. More than 38,000 medics have been dispatched to the city, according to state media. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) also deployed more than 2,000 military medical workers to Shanghai on Sunday.
With weeks into lockdown, a sense of helplessness has engulfed the residents of Shanghai. Residents have continued to take to social media outpouring difficulties in accessing goods, including waking up in the early morning hours to place orders for limited supplies. It’s a nightmare for patients suffering from non-COVID diseases not only in Shanghai but also in Changchun, another city in northeastern Jilin province placed under lockdown. People in need of emergency medical help were forced to put their appeals on social media to draw the attention of authorities after they failed to get the medical attention for their relatives. In addition, China’s Covid-19 health code algorithms are adding to the misery in people’s lives and freedoms, leaving some confused and miserable. It is worrisome if the health kit app wrongly flags someone as a virus risk. Officials want to play safe as they do not want to miss any cases because they feel, the risk of going massively overboard is much less than of not doing enough or getting sacked if an outbreak occurs on their watch. Public health measures have often moved into the political realm.
There was huge outrage and public outcry over the isolation policy, which requires all patients who test positive to be isolated in facilities, including young children and babies. It has caused significant levels of distress among parents as a mother of a 2-year-old COVID positive girl raised an alarm on social media that she is receiving little information about her daughter who has been separated from her and sent to the clinic. According to media reports, the mother, who is also a confirmed case of Covid-19, was allowed to stay with her daughter on Monday. At a press conference Shanghai officials said that if the parents of infected children are also positive, they can stay together and receive medical observation and treatment, but kids aged under seven are still required to be sent to Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center for pediatric treatment. According to reports, several Shanghai-based EU diplomats sent a letter to the city’s government, urging not to separate children from their parents “whatever the circumstances”.