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(TJV) China is reintroducing mask-wearing and social distancing measures reminiscent of COVID lockdowns in response to a mysterious pneumonia outbreak, occurring four years after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Disturbing videos depict crowds in Chinese hospitals donning masks, raising concerns about a potential new global health crisis.
NEW: Mystery pneumonia is sweeping over China causing people to overwhelm hospitals.
Just in time for the 2024 election.
Chinese officials are now encouraging people to wear masks, social distance and stay at home.
China’s health ministry is downplaying the sickness, saying… pic.twitter.com/TzDVH2XiqO
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 27, 2023
Meanwhilwe the fear isrising in Europe.
Cases of pneumonia in children are rising in Europe as a second country reports an uptick in the deadly respitory disease. The Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research (NIVEL) has reported that 80 out of every 100,000 children in the country between ages five and 14 came down with pneumonia last week.
Hospitals in Beijing and Liaoning, particularly affected, are reportedly struggling with an influx of sick children, leading to overcrowded facilities. The cause is linked to a common bacterial infection, mycoplasma pneumoniae, which has been circulating since May and is now manifesting severe respiratory symptoms in lung scans.
Despite the surge in illnesses, China attributes the outbreak to seasonal flu and common winter bugs rather than a new virus. Nevertheless, authorities are urging increased efforts to combat the situation, including the opening of more fever clinics, extending service hours, and promoting vaccine uptake. Local authorities are called upon to focus on preventing the spread of illnesses in crowded places. A Beijing children’s hospital has reported admitting over 7,000 patients daily, surpassing its capacity, while Tianjin’s largest pediatric hospital received more than 13,000 children.
Concerns are exacerbated by the timing, as China enters its first full winter season since lifting strict Covid-19 restrictions in December of the previous year. Some experts, including Professor Francois Balloux from the UCL Genetics Institute, attribute the spike in illnesses to China’s strict lockdown, which may have lowered immunity, leading to a subsequent “exit wave.” The situation prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to formally request more information from Beijing. Despite accusations of a lack of transparency in initial reports on the Covid-19 pandemic, both China and the WHO deny the presence of unusual or novel pathogens in the current outbreak.
The uncanny similarity between the current wave of sickness and early reports preceding Covid-19 has raised concerns and comparisons. The UK Health Security Agency emphasizes the need to keep an open mind regarding the cause of the mystery pneumonia. Health authorities in China advise the public to take children with less severe symptoms to clinics, but the WHO states that insufficient information is available to assess the true risk of the reported cases of respiratory illness in children.
