As the Communist Party's flagship newspaper pushed residents for a "final victory" against the virus, global health professionals attempted to ascertain the details of China's raging COVID-19 epidemic and how to prevent its further spread.
COVID has been released on China's 1.4 billion population, which has minimal natural protection because it has been sheltered from the virus since it appeared in the central city of Wuhan three years ago.
Numerous funeral homes and hospitals report swamped, and international health experts expect at least one million deaths in China this year. However, after the policy reversal, China has reported five or fewer deaths per day.
The official death toll is absurd, a 66-year-old Beijing resident identified only by his surname Zhang remarked.
"Four close relatives of mine have died. This comes from only one family. I hope the administration will tell the people and the rest of the world the truth about what has occurred here."
China has rejected global skepticism of its figures as politically motivated attempts to tarnish its accomplishments in the fight against the virus.
The People's Daily, the Communist Party's official newspaper, rebutted criticism of China's three years of isolation, lockdowns, and testing, which sparked historic protests late last year, in an editorial.
Having abolished the prohibitions, Beijing is now retaliating against countries that demand pre-departure COVID tests from Chinese tourists, arguing that the rules are excessive and without a scientific basis.
Japan is the most recent nation to mandate a negative pre-boarding test, joining the United States, Australia, and others. On Wednesday, European Union health experts will gather to explore a unified response to China travel.
Willie Walsh, the head of the largest airline association in the world, IATA, blasted the actions he described as "reactionary" and inadequate in limiting the spread of COVID.
China, which has been virtually cut off from the rest of the world since the start of the pandemic, will no longer require inbound tourists to undergo quarantine as of January 8. However, it will still require that arriving passengers be tested before embarking on their flights.
Data Doubts
On Tuesday, World Health Organization representatives met with Chinese scientists amid concerns over the integrity of China's statistics on the spread and evolution of its outbreak.
The UN body had invited the researchers to give comprehensive information on viral sequencing, hospitalizations, deaths, and immunizations.
According to a representative, the WHO will share information about the discussions later, most likely on Wednesday.
Reuters reported last month that the WHO had not received statistics from China on new COVID hospitalizations since Beijing's policy shift, prompting some health experts to speculate that China is concealing the outbreak's scope.
China announced five new COVID deaths on Tuesday, increasing the official death toll to 5,258. This number is deficient compared to global norms.
Airfinity, a British health data company, estimates that around 9,000 people die annually in China from COVID.
At the Zhongshan hospital in Shanghai on Tuesday, patients, many of whom were old, vied for space in crowded halls between temporary beds where they used oxygen ventilators and received intravenous drips.
On Wednesday, a Reuters witness counted seven hearses in the Tongji hospital parking lot. Workers were observed transporting at least 18 yellow body bags.
Booking Boom
With China's $17 trillion economy growing at its slowest rate in nearly half a century due to COVID disruptions, investors are now anticipating policy stimuli.
China's yuan stayed at a four-month high versus the dollar on Wednesday, following a commitment by its finance minister to increase fiscal stimulus. Additionally, the central bank has signaled more policy support.
Analysts at UBS anticipate that the "big bang" strategy to reopening will result in "a deeper but shorter setback" for the economy, but also forecast that economic activity will rebound in February.
According to Chinese media, there is a resurgence of interest in traveling overseas despite introducing new restrictions in some nations.
In recent days, international airline bookings have increased 145% year-over-year, according to China Daily, citing statistics from Trip.com.
Before the epidemic, Chinese visitors spent more than $250 billion annually abroad, yet the number of flights to and from China remains at a fraction of pre-COVID levels.
This year, Thailand anticipates at least five million Chinese visitors. In 2019, more than 11 million Chinese tourists visited Thailand, roughly a third of the country's total tourists.
However, there are indications that a rise in Chinese tourism could cause problems abroad.
South Korea began testing Chinese travelers on Monday and reported that more than a quarter of the results were positive.
Authorities sought a Chinese individual who tested positive for the disease but had vanished before the quarantine.
