Beds run out at Beijing hospital as COVID brings more sick
Beijing(AP): Patients, most of them elderly, are lying on stretchers in hallways and taking oxygen while sitting in wheelchairs as COVID-19 surges in China's capital Beijing.
The Chuiyangliu hospital in the city's east was packed with newly arrived patients on Thursday. By mid-morning beds had run out, even as ambulances continued to bring those in need.
Hard-pressed nurses and doctors rushed to take information and triage the most urgent cases.
The surge in severely ill people needing hospital care follows China abandonment of its most severe pandemic restrictions last month after nearly three years of lockdowns, travels bans and school closures that weighed heavily on the economy and prompted street protests not seen since the late 1980s.
It also comes as the the European Union on Wednesday "strongly encouraged" its member states to impose pre-departure COVID-19 testing of passengers from China.
Over the past week, EU nations have reacted with a variety of restrictions toward travelers from China, disregarding an earlier commitment to act in unity.
Italy where the pandemic first exacted a heavy toll in Europe in early 2020 was the first EU member to require coronavirus tests for airline passengers coming from China, but France and Spain quickly followed with their own measures.
That followed the imposition by the US of a requirement that all passengers from China show a negative test result obtained in the previous 48 hours before departure. China has warned of "countermeasures" if such policies were to be imposed across the bloc.
Still, World Health Organisation head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday he was concerned about the lack of outbreak data from the Chinese government.
At a daily briefing on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing has consistently "shared information and data with the international community in an open and transparent manner."
"At present, China's COVID-19 situation is under control," Mao said. "Also, we hope that the WHO secretariat will take a science-based, objective and impartial position to play a positive role in addressing the pandemic globally."
The terse language between China and the WHO contrasts sharply with what critics in the US Congress and elsewhere called an overly friendly relationship between the two as the UN organisation sought to probe the origins of the pandemic.
While the first cases were reported in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019, China has claimed the virus originated in the US or Europe and has been accused of withholding data that could help narrow the search for the cause.
In dealing with the latest outbreak, China has sought to get more of its elderly population vaccinated, but those efforts have been hampered by past scandals involving fake medications and previous warnings about adverse reactions to the vaccines among older people.
China's domestically developed vaccines are also considered less effective than the mRNA jabs used elsewhere.
Meanwhile, local authorities in some areas are appealing to the public to avoid traveling during this month's Lunar New Year holiday, as the last formal restrictions on movement are lifted.
"We recommend that everyone not return to their hometowns unless necessary during the peak of the outbreak," the government of Shaoyang county in Hunan province in central China said in a notice dated Thursday.
"Avoid visiting relatives and traveling between regions. Minimize travel."
Similar appeals were issued by Shouxian county in Anhui province southeast of Beijing and the cities of Qingyang in Gansu province in the northwest and Weifang in Shandong on the east coast.
The Weifang government notice said residents should celebrate the holiday with video and phone gatherings.
"Avoid visiting relatives and friends to protect yourself and others," it said.
Despite such concerns, Hong Kong announced it will reopen its border with mainland China on Sunday and allow tens of thousands of people to cross from each side every day without being quarantined.
It was unclear what restrictions people travelling to the mainland side would face.
The city's land and sea border checkpoints with the mainland have been largely closed for almost three years and the reopening is expected to provide a much-needed boost to Hong Kong's tourism and retail sectors.
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India-US joint statement remains basis for interim trade agreement: New Delhi
New Delhi (PTI): India on Thursday said its joint statement with the US remains the basis for a proposed interim trade agreement, and that the amendments in a White House fact sheet reflect the shared understandings.
The fact sheet, brought out by the White House on Monday, triggered a controversy as it mentioned that India would reduce tariffs on "certain pulses" and had "committed" to buying American goods, including energy and technology, worth USD 500 billion over five years.
The document was revised later and the contentious issues were removed.
"As you are aware, the India-US joint statement on the framework for an interim agreement on reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade was issued on February 7," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing.
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"The joint statement is the framework and remains the basis of our mutual understanding in the matter. Both sides will now work towards implementing this framework and finalising the interim agreement," he said.
Jaiswal was responding to a question on the issue.
"The amendments in the US fact sheet reflect the shared understandings contained in the joint statement," he said.
It is learnt that the Indian side flagged concerns over the formulations in the fact sheet following which the White House made the amendments.
The revised fact sheet issued Tuesday removed the reference made regarding pulses.
"India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of US food and agricultural products, including dried distillers’ grains (DDGs), red sorghum, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products," it said.
"India intends to buy more American products and purchase over $500 billion of US energy, information and communication technology, coal, and other products," it said.
It also removed a reference to India removing its digital services taxes. The amended document said that the Indian side is committed to negotiate digital trade rules.
The amended fact sheet also stated that India "intends to buy" more US goods.
In a related development, US Ambassador Sergio Gor met Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and discussed ways to advance the India-US partnership.
"Always a pleasure to meet with Foreign Secretary @VikramMisri. We had a great discussion on advancing the U.S.-India partnership. So many opportunities ahead now that the trade deal has been finalized!," Gor said on social media.
Following a phone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, both sides announced reduction of US tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent from 50 per cent.
To a question on Trump's Board of Peace, Jaiswal said India received an invitation for it and New Delhi is currently considering it.
"As far as the Board of Peace is concerned, we have received an invitation from the US government to join the Board of Peace. We are currently considering this proposal and reviewing it," he said.
Jaiswal said India has consistently supported efforts that promote peace, stability, and dialogue in West Asia.
"Our prime minister has also welcomed all such initiatives that pave the way for long-term and lasting peace in the entire region, including Gaza. So, with regard to the invitation to join the Board of Peace, we are presently reviewing it," he said.
