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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Helen Davidson in Taipei

China rushes to boost intensive care beds, doctors and stocks of medicine as Covid surges

A doctor prescribes medicine for a patient at a makeshift fever clinic in Beijing
A doctor prescribes medicine for a patient at a makeshift fever clinic in Beijing. Photograph: Wu Hao/EPA

Chinese authorities are rushing to boost the number of intensive care beds and health workers and increase medication supplies as Covid-19 surges through the country.

Since the abrupt dismantling of the stringent zero-Covid regime, cases have skyrocketed in China. A full picture of the impact is difficult to gauge. Authorities have conceded it is “impossible” for the testing system to keep track, and the narrow parameters for attributing deaths to the virus mean the official count – fewer than 10 this week – is at odds with widespread anecdotal reports of fatalities and high traffic at funeral homes.

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