Hong Kong CNN —Hospitals in Beijing and northern China are grappling with a surge of children with respiratory illnesses as the country enters its first winter since relaxing stringent Covid-19 controls nearly one year ago. Wait times to see doctors stretch for hours, with hundreds of patients queuing at some children’s hospitals in major cities across northern China, according to CNN reporting and Chinese state and social media. The surge in cases across northern China comes amid a rise in seasonal respiratory infections around the northern hemisphere, including in the United States, where RSV is spreading at “unprecedented” levels among children. Children receive intravenous drips at a children's hospital in Beijing on November 23, 2023. It’s unclear if there’s been an increase in respiratory illnesses or severe cases among children relative to pre-pandemic years because of limited public data released by China.

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Persons: “, Jin Dongyan, ” Catherine Bennett, ” Bennett, Jade Gao, drips, ”, there’s, Jin, that’s, Christine Jenkins Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — Hospitals, CNN, Beijing Children’s Hospital, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Health, World Health Organization, WHO, Wednesday, “, University of Hong Kong’s, of Biomedical Sciences, Deakin University, Getty, Weibo, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, National Health Commission, NHC, ”, China’s, Hong Kong University, UNSW Sydney Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, Tianjin, United States, Australia, AFP, Beijing’s