Chinese provinces and cities are seeing millions of new COVID-19 infections each day, much higher than the official statistics, with the wave expected to peak in the weeks ahead.
Health officials said there were roughly 1 million new COVID-19 infections every day in Zhejiang, a coastal province located south of Shanghai. Infections in the manufacturing hub of 65.4 million are estimated to double around New Year’s Day.
“The infection peak is estimated to arrive earlier in Zhejiang and to enter a period of elevated level[s] around New Year’s Day, during which the daily new infection number will be up to two million,” Yu Xinle, deputy director of Zhejiang’s health commission, said at a Dec. 26 briefing.
The grim picture presented by local officials came after China’s National Health Commission (NHC) announced Sunday that it would stop publishing daily COVID-19 infections and deaths statistics. The regulatory body said relevant outbreak information would be reported by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a department directly under NHC, for reference and research.
Tracing the Scale of the Outbreak
The actual scale of the outbreak, however, is hard to trace. Evidence that the regime downplays and covers up information about the outbreaks has persisted throughout the pandemic. Moreover, there is growing evidence that the latest wave of COVID-19 infections is far worse than official tallies indicate.
Hospitals and morgues across the country have been overwhelmed following the regime’s abrupt reversal of the nearly 3-year-old zero-COVID policy that put hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens under relentless lockdowns and battered the world’s second-largest economy.
Up to half a million people were estimated to be infected with COVID-19 each day in the northern port city of Qingdao, a local official said at a briefing on Dec. 23, according to state-backed media The Paper. That number is anticipated to increase by 10 percent in the next two days, the official added.
The southern Chinese city of Dongguan also estimated it’s seeing tens of thousands of new COVID-19 infections daily.
“Daily infections are growing on a scale of 250,000 to 300,000 people a day and the growth rate is accelerating. Medical institutions and health workers are facing unprecedented challenges and immense pressure,” the city’s health authorities said in a Dec. 23 statement.
Visits to Zhejiang fever clinics hit 408,400 a day—14 times normal levels—in the past week, a Zhejiang official told a news conference.
Daily requests to the emergency center in Zhejiang’s capital, Hangzhou, have recently more than tripled on average from last year’s level, state television reported on Sunday, citing an Hangzhou health official.
The eastern city of Suzhou said late on Saturday its emergency line received a record 7,233 calls on Thursday.
Grim Prospects Ahead
Zhengzhou, a central Chinese city home to the world’s largest iPhone assembling facility, estimated that it will see a spike in COVID-19 infections around mid-January. The southern province of Jiangxi and the megacity of Guangzhou, the provincial capital of Guangdong, also predicted similar peak times.
Nearby Anhui Province, however, said the peak may have already arrived, state-backed media Security Times reported, citing local authorities.
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Analysts, meanwhile, predicted a grim picture ahead.
“China is entering the most dangerous weeks of the pandemic,” said a research note from Capital Economics. “The authorities are making almost no efforts now to slow the spread of infections and, with the migration ahead of Lunar New Year getting started, any parts of the country not currently in a major COVID wave will be soon.”
Enormous Strain on Health System
The massive outbreaks came as the regime scrapped its zero-COVID policies on Dec. 7 in the face of public protests and a widening outbreak.
“Our country’s new coronavirus epidemic prevention and control is facing new situations and new tasks,” the state-run Xinhua news agency cited Xi Jinping as saying on Dec. 26. The Chinese leader’s remarks on public health marked one of his first references to China’s recent policy shift.
China’s abrupt retreat from the draconian policy left its under-prepared health care system under enormous strain, with staff being asked to work while sick and rural communities re-hiring retired medical workers to help grass-root efforts, according to state media.
Bolstering the urgency of the situation is the approach of the Lunar New Year in January, when huge numbers of people return home.
Reuters contributed to this report. Article cross-posted from our premium news partners at The Epoch Times.
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
