Wednesday, Chinese hospitals were under severe pressure as a rise in COVID-19 infections stretched the country's resources. China is the last major country to treat the virus as endemic.

China began dismantling the world's tightest COVID regime of lockdowns and thorough testing this month, putting its shattered economy on track for a full reopening the following year.

As a result of the loosening of limitations, which followed widespread protests against them, COVID is potentially infecting millions of individuals per day, according to some international health experts.

China's vulnerable health system has been overwhelmed by the rapid repeal of COVID regulations, prompting countries "living with the virus" to consider travel restrictions for Chinese tourists.

China reported three new COVID-related deaths on Tuesday, up from one on Monday, which is inconsistent with the experience of countries with a significantly smaller population after they reopened.

Staff at Huaxi, a large hospital in the southwestern city of Chengdu, said that they were swamped caring for COVID patients, as they have been since December 7.

"I've been doing this job for 30 years, and this is the busiest I've ever seen," said an unidentified ambulance driver outside the hospital.

Tuesday evening, there were long lines inside and outside the hospital's emergency room and at a nearby fever clinic. Most individuals who arrived in ambulances were given oxygen to assist with breathing.

A pharmacy staff member at an emergency department stated, "Nearly all of the patients have COVID."

She stated that the hospital lacked COVID-specific medications and could only supply cough suppressants.

Zhang Yuhua, a representative of the Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, stated that most recent patients were elderly and gravely ill with underlying conditions. According to official media, she noted that the number of people seeking emergency care has climbed to 450-550 per day from 100 previously.

Images published by the government In the intensive care section of the hospital, China Daily showed rows of primarily elderly patients, some of whom were breathing through oxygen tubes, receiving treatment from medical personnel wearing white hazmat suits.

Travel Plan

China will no longer need inbound travelers to undergo quarantine as of January 8, authorities announced this week, leading many who have been locked off from the world for so long to explore travel portals.

Even though online searches for flights increased dramatically on Tuesday from deficient levels, residents and travel agencies predicted that a return to anything resembling normal would take several more months due to concerns about COVID and more cautious spending as a result of the pandemic.

In addition, some governments were considering imposing additional travel conditions on Chinese tourists.

As justification, U.S. officials claimed "the lack of transparent data, particularly virus genome sequence data."

India and Japan would demand that travelers from mainland China pass a COVID test, with those who test positive in Japan being required to spend a week in quarantine. Tokyo also intends to restrict the expansion of flights to China by airlines.

A spokesperson for China's foreign ministry stated on Tuesday, in response to a question regarding the travel restrictions imposed by Japan and India, that "COVID measures should be scientific, modest, and should not hinder the natural flow of individuals."

Economic Pain

As employees and consumers become ill, China's 17 trillion-dollar economy is projected to experience a slowdown in industrial output and household consumption.

The reopening of China's borders boosted global luxury stocks. Still, the reaction in other market sectors was more muted, as the world's second-largest economy is projected to have weak global demand in 2023.

According to an internal timetable acquired by Reuters, U.S. automaker Tesla (TSLA.O) plans to run a curtailed production schedule at its Shanghai facility in January, extending the restricted output that began this month into next year.

Tesla did not explain the expected output decrease.

Once the first shock of new infections subsides, some economists anticipate the Chinese economy to rebound with a vengeance from what is likely to be its lowest growth rate in nearly half a century, about 3%, this year.

Morgan Stanley economists forecast growth of 5.4% in 2023, while Goldman Sachs forecasts growth of 5.2%.