21 new local COVID-19 cases in China

China reported 21 locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 11 in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and five each in Beijing and Shanghai in the past 24 hours, according to the National Health Commission's report Saturday.

Meanwhile, Shanghai reported five confirmed locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and nine local asymptomatic cases on Friday, the municipal health commission said. A total of 304 COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery on the Chinese mainland on Friday, the National Health Commission said in its Saturday report.

With this, the total number of COVID-19 patients discharged from hospitals after recovery reaches to 217,414 on the Chinese mainland as of Friday.

China's much-publicized "Zero-Covid" strategy that the government credited for bringing the country out of the pandemic till recently is falling apart as the rapidly mounting cases are again forcing mass lockdowns like those seen in 2020.

Meanwhile, according to the Hong Kong Post, despite having ample medical resources like hospital beds and antiviral pills, a vast majority of elderly people over 60 years have not been vaccinated as of yet.

The fact that several elderly people over the age of 60 have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 in China might be a deliberate action by Chinese authorities to leave the aged people out of the protection radar, considering them to be a burden on its economy.

Further, guidelines issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China meant to meet the needs of the elderly is not followed in China which can be seen in the higher number of elderly people's death due to Covid. Many elderly patients who passed away in a Shanghai hospital after contracting Covid were because they were not vaccinated.

Moreover, China follows a labor-intensive economic program that takes into account people below age 60, reported The Hong Kong Post. However, many aged people who retire are left without sufficient resources, whose cost is borne by families or the state.

As a result, the surge in the elderly population has reduced the supply of the labor force and has enhanced the burden on families. Health care expenses might take up to one-fourth of the GDP. Since the growth of the elderly population cannot be stopped, it might gravely impact the long-term balanced development of the country.

( With inputs from ANI )

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