Horrifyingly familiar scenes in China after crowds wearing ‘masks’ flock to hospitals

Worrying video footage shows crowds gathering at a Chinese hospital in scenes eerily reminiscent of the Covid-19 pandemic.

People were seen wearing masks as local media reported that health facilities in Beijing and Shanghai were “overcrowded with sick children.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed an increase in flu-like illnesses in China last week.

Officials insist there is no new virus and say flu and other winter viruses are on the rise.

It is the first winter in the country without a lockdown due to the coronavirus.

However, residents are still advised to work from home if they are unwell, maintain social distancing and wear face coverings, following statements in previous years.

A spokesperson for the National Health Commission said a sharp increase in respiratory infections was due to an overlap of common viruses such as influenza and RSV, as well as bacterial pneumonia.

A new virus like the one that caused the pandemic has been ruled out.

Ministry spokesperson Mi Feng added: “Efforts should be made to increase the opening of relevant clinics and treatment areas, expand service hours and increase the supply of medicines.”

The reports caused alarm after China and the WHO were accused of a lack of transparency in their initial reports on the pandemic.

Another ‘mystery pneumonia’ circulating in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019 was Covid-19.

Britain’s Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it “remains open-minded” about the cause of the latest outbreak, but the WHO stressed that the increase appeared to be due to a decline in natural immunity after several winter seasons of lockdowns by the coronavirus.

Maria Van Kerkhove, acting director of the WHO’s Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention Division, said: “The waves they are seeing now are not as high as in 2018-2019.”

“This is not an indication of a new pathogen.” This is expected. This is what most countries faced a year or two ago.”

Shanghai Songjiang District Central Hospital receives more than 700 children every day, three times as many as in the same period in previous years, reports Xinmin Weekly.

And Wang Quanyi of the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention told state media that the city has “entered a season with a high incidence of infectious respiratory diseases.”

Li Meiling, 42, whose eight-year-old daughter is suffering from pneumonia, told reporters: “It is true that many children her age are currently suffering from it.

“It’s winter, so it’s normal that there are more cases of respiratory diseases. That’s due to the time of year.”

Beijing only lifted its strict nationwide ‘zero Covid’ policy in December last year, following mass protests across the country.

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