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☆ Zhang Yongzhen: Chinese virologist shared crucial Covid-19 data. Then his research hit hurdles
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | Yong Xiong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The ordeal is just the latest hindrance to Zhang’s research since 2020, according to a colleague who has been in contact with the Chinese scientist in recent years. The “institute always respects … and supports scientific researchers and students in carrying out normal research work,” the statement said. The earlier post by Zhang’s students said the two days originally allocated by the center for them to move their scientific work was insufficient. Following the release of the data, Zhang’s lab had limitations placed on it, which barred it from isolating the Covid virus, Holmes said. That included imposing restrictions by April 2020 on the publication of academic research on the origins of the novel coronavirus.

Persons: Zhang Yongzhen’s, Zhang, ”, hadn’t, Hector Retamal, Edward Holmes, Holmes, ” Holmes, “, He’s, Zhang Yongzhen, ” Zhang, “ He’s, It’s, virologist Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Shanghai, Health, Weibo, Zhang’s, Chinese Center for Disease Control, CNN, Fudan University, Health Clinical, Getty, World Health Organization, Nature, University, Sydney, CDC, China’s National Health Commission, Oxford University Press, Shanghai Public Health Center, Natural Science Foundation of China Locations: China, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Wuhan, AFP, Beijing

GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization says it has made an official request to China for information about a potentially worrying spike in respiratory illnesses and clusters of pneumonia in children. The U.N. health agency cited unspecified media reports and a global infectious disease monitoring service as reporting clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China. Political Cartoons View All 1265 ImagesWHO said media reports about a week later reported clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China. WHO said that northern China has reported a jump in influenza-like illnesses since mid-October compared to the previous three years. It is rare for the U.N. health agency to publicly ask for more detailed information from countries, as such requests are typically made internally.

Persons: David Heymann, ” Heymann, Francois Balloux, ” Balloux, China's, ___ Cheng, Wanqing Chen Organizations: GENEVA, World Health Organization, WHO, National Health Commission, London School of Hygiene, Tropical Medicine, University College London, Beijing Children’s Hospital, China National Radio, Health Commission, Xinhua News Agency Locations: China, Beijing, London

☆ WHO asks China for more information on spike in pediatric respiratory illnesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Katherine Dillinger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The World Health Organization says it has requested more information from Chinese officials on an increase in respiratory illnesses and pneumonia clusters among children there. Officials from China’s National Health Commission reported an increase in respiratory disease at a news conference last week, WHO said in a statement Wednesday. Get CNN Health's weekly newsletter Sign up here to get The Results Are In with Dr. Sanjay Gupta every Tuesday from the CNN Health team. Media reports suggest “a widespread outbreak of an undiagnosed respiratory illness in several areas in China,” according to the International Society for Infectious Diseases’ Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases, known as ProMED. The agency advises people in China to take precautionary measures to lower the risk of respiratory illness, including getting recommended vaccines, staying home when sick, wearing masks around others and washing hands regularly.

Persons: ”, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, ” ProMED, it’s Organizations: CNN, World Health Organization, China’s National Health Commission, WHO, ” WHO, CNN Health, Media, International Society for Infectious Diseases Locations: China

☆ West’s latest China corporate risk: medical graft
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Karen Kwok | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

An employee wearing a face mask is seen at a workshop of computed tomography (CT) scanners of medical device firm Siemens Healthineers in Shanghai, China, February 24, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 23 (Reuters Breakingviews) - China corporate risk has spread to Western medical device companies. According to BMI analysts, about two-thirds of Chinese medical devices used by local hospitals and clinics are imported from Western groups. That implies a direct hit to the order and revenue growth for medical device firms. Domestic brands, which have historically lagged in the advanced end of the medical device market, took the whole of last decade just to hike their share from around 20% to 30%, Deloitte says.

Persons: Aly, Philips, George Hay, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Siemens, REUTERS, Reuters, Volkswagen, Philips, GE Healthcare, BMI, National Health Commission, Siemens Healthineers, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Deloitte, GE, Healthineers, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, People’s Republic, Beijing, United States

☆ China launches 'unprecedented' crackdown on its healthcare industry amid economic woes
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —China has launched a sweeping anti-corruption campaign targeting its hospitals, pharmaceutical industry and insurance funds as it grapples with mounting economic challenges and long-standing public frustration about high costs in the behemoth healthcare sector. Some areas have set up hotlines for phoning in tips about corruption in the sector, according to state media. At least one state media report has described the campaign as “unprecedented in the depth, breadth and intensity” of targeting the healthcare sector. Despite wide health insurance coverage, absolute costs of healthcare can be a heavy burden for many in China. “Given the economic slowdown and the shrinking fiscal revenue, the debt-ridden local governments really don’t have the capabilities to invest more in the medical sector and corruption continues to be an issue,” said Huang.

Persons: That’s, Xi Jinping, Ren Jianming, Yanzhong Huang, ”, Huang, Jade Gao, Xi Chen, ” Chen, Winning Health Technology Group’s, Zhou Wei, Sun Ningling, ” “ Organizations: CNN, behemoth, Communist Party, China News Service, Center for Integrity Research, Education, China’s Beihang University, Publishing, Council, Foreign Relations, Getty Images, Yale School of Public Health, Getty, Health Commission, NHC, Central Commission, CSI, Reuters, Shanghai Serum, Winning Health Technology, Peking University People’s Hospital Locations: China, Yunnan, Shanghai, Beijing, Zhejiang, United States, New York, AFP, Guangzhou, Shenzhen

☆ WHO says its chief spoke with Chinese officials, welcomes COVID-19 data
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus spoke with Ma Xiaowei, director of China’s National Health Commission, about the wave of infections which erupted after the country abruptly dismantled its anti-virus regime last month. "WHO appreciates this meeting, as well as the public release of information on the overall situation," the Geneva-based agency said in a statement. The release follows global criticism of China's data. "The reported data indicate a decline in case numbers, hospitalizations, and those requiring critical care. WHO has requested a more detailed breakdown of data by province over time," the agency said.

☆ Risk of a dangerous new Covid variant in China is ‘quite low,’ U.S. health expert says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | Evelyn Cheng Is A Senior Correspondent With Cnbc. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, pointed out there were likely billions of omicron infections worldwide this year, but no new Covid variant has emerged, only subvariants of omicron. “That’s why I would put the risk as quite low that there is a dangerous new variant in China,” he said. The U.S., Japan and a few other countries this week subsequently announced new Covid testing requirements for travelers from China. China’s National Health Commission said Sunday it would stop releasing daily information on Covid infections and deaths. Covid testing is no longer mandatory in China.

☆ Premarket stocks: Wall Street's dirty secret: It's terrible at forecasting stocks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

What’s happening: Last year, Goldman Sachs analysts predicted that the S&P 500 would close out 2022 at 5,100 points. With those caveats, let’s get to Wall Street’s predictionsThe numbers: Forecasts for where the S&P 500 will finish 2023 vary greatly. Analysts overestimated the final value (that is, the final value finished below the estimate) in 13 of the 20 years and underestimated the final value (the final value finished above the estimate) in the other 7 years. They’re on track to have overestimated the performance of the S&P 500 in 2022 by nearly 40%. During this period, the S&P 500 has historically gained 1.3% on average, according to data from LPL Financial going back to 1950.

☆ China Stops Issuing Daily Covid Data Ahead of Outbreak’s Peak
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( Selina Cheng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

HONG KONG—China’s central health authority has stopped publishing daily Covid-19 data, ending a three-year effort that has drawn mounting criticism for massively underreporting the surge in infections now sweeping the country. In a one-line announcement Sunday, China’s National Health Commission said it would no longer issue its daily report on Covid infections and deaths. Relevant Covid information will instead be published by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention for reference and research, it said, without giving any further information.

☆ China Records First Deaths After Easing Covid-19 Policy, With Many More Likely
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Austin Ramzy | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

HONG KONG—China acknowledged the first Covid-19 deaths since the country ended its strict pandemic control policies, but the true scale of the outbreak is veiled by lack of data and unclear rules. The two deaths were recorded in Beijing on Monday, China’s National Health Commission said, the first blamed on the virus in the capital since November. Official infection figures have slumped since last month after the government dropped strict testing requirements and abandoned efforts to tally asymptomatic cases. That contrasts with predictions by health experts of a surge in infections as well as reports from residents of Beijing and other cities that they have seen a sharp increase in Covid cases in their apartment buildings and personal circles.

But for a place that until earlier this month assiduously tracked every case, there is now no clear data on the extent of the virus’ spread. Customers queue at a pharmacy in Beijing, China, on Tuesday, December 13. Authorities on Wednesday morning reported 2,249 symptomatic Covid cases nationally for the previous day, 20% of which were detected in the capital. A closed Covid testing booth in Beijing, China, on Tuesday, December 13. Chinese state media has since warned people the preserved fruit is not a Covid remedy nor a substitute for medicine.

Changes continued Monday as authorities announced a deactivation of the “mobile itinerary card” health tracking function planned for the following day. But as the scrapping of parts of the zero-Covid infrastructure come apace, there are questions about how the country’s health system will handle a mass outbreak. Throughout the weekend, some businesses were closed in Beijing, and city streets were largely deserted, as residents either fell ill or feared catching the virus. Covid was “spreading rapidly” driven by highly transmissible Omicron variants in China, a top Covid-19 expert, Zhong Nanshan, said in an interview published by state media Saturday. Authorities recorded 8,626 Covid-19 cases across China on Sunday, down from the previous day’s count of 10,597 and from the high of more than 40,000 daily cases late last month.

HONG KONG, Dec 9 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The pandemic has helped Chinese authorities to keep a lot of money at home. With expectations rising for a full reopening of the country, including its international borders, capital outflows could be Beijing’s next headache. The People’s Republic supposedly has strict controls with cross-border cash transfers for citizens capped at $50,000 per year. Even so, jet-setting travellers splurged $255 billion abroad in 2019, boosting hotel revenue in Thailand and designer handbag sales in Paris. With pent up demand for spending overseas likely to be high, China might be tempted to look for benefits from keeping its borders shut.

☆ China eases some of its Covid restrictions, in significant step toward reopening
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNS/AFP/Getty ImagesSince early in the pandemic, China has used health codes on mobile phones to track individuals’ health statuses. Residents line up for Covid tests in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China on December 1. Schools with Covid cases can continue “normal teaching and living,” as long as they designate certain “risk areas” with control measures. Since early in the pandemic, China has required a prescription and negative Covid test to buy these. Some experts have warned that a broader reopening inevitably brings health risks, especially to those vulnerable groups.

☆ As China moves away from zero-Covid, health experts warn of dark days ahead
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Across the country, however, some parts of residential communities and buildings designated high risk by authorities are still locked down. A QR code for Covid-19 contact tracing displayed at the entrance to a subway station in Shanghai, China, on Monday. Top health officials on November 28 announced a new plan to bolster elderly vaccination rates, but such measures will take time, as will other preparations for a surge. Minimizing the worst outcomes in a transition out of zero-Covid depends on that preparation, according to Cowling. From that perspective, he said, “it doesn’t look like it would be a good time to relax the policies.”

☆ China’s New Daily Covid Cases Jump Above 24,000
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Sha Hua | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Beijing reported more than 450 new cases, close to Monday’s record. SINGAPORE—China’s central government has laid out preparations to deal with surging Covid-19 infections, while warning local authorities against “irresponsible loosening” of pandemic-control measures. China would continue to “rectify the practice of excessive measures such as lockdowns, while also opposing irresponsible attitudes and prevent a loosening up,” said Mi Feng, spokesman for China’s National Health Commission during a briefing on Thursday.

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