What’s new: Tibet is building two makeshift hospitals with a total of 2,200 beds to treat Covid-19 patients as China combats the spreading omicron outbreak, even though the remote western region has been clear of the virus for more than two years.
Jiangsu Qi'an Construction Group Co. Ltd. was assigned in late March to build the temporary hospitals in Lhasa and Shigatse. The projects, mainly prefab-style buildings with negative pressure ventilation systems, were set to be completed in half a month, the company said on its official social media account.
The Tibet autonomous region reported only one Covid-19 infection since the pandemic started more than two years ago. The region has recorded zero cases for 810 days straight as it applied strict controls on the entry of visitors.
The context: Provinces and cities in China are racing to set up makeshift hospitals for Covid-19 treatment amid recent flare-ups across the country led by the highly transmissible omicron variant, forcing many cities to impose lockdowns.
The National Health Commission in late March ordered provinces to set up at least two temporary hospitals each to isolate and treat Covid-19 patients with mild or no symptoms to avoid overwhelming the medical system.
China requires all Covid patients to be isolated, regardless of severity, under its “zero-Covid” strategy, although the approach faces greater challenges from the highly contagious variants.
China reported 19,927 new infections Wednesday, including 17,166 asymptomatic cases. More than 94% of the new cases were recorded in Shanghai, the financial hub in its fourth week of lockdown.
Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bob.simison@caixin.com)
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