1/Visited several fever clinics in Beijing. I saw short, orderly lines, and no signs yet of overcrowding. If the medical system here can hold up for the next couple of weeks, Beijing might just make it through without a large number of fatalities, which would be a huge relief.
2/A patient getting checked up at a fever clinic. Hospital guidelines tell patients to get a nucleic acid test and wait for results before being admitted.
3/A short line while people wait for medicine, results, to see a nurse.
4/Things are quiet in other departments, too. Here is the (non-fever clinic) check-in for a hospital in another part of town. Wandering the corridors, things were noticeably quiet.
5/Peering in through a window into another fever clinic. Plenty of patients, but orderly.
6/Cold medicine and antigen tests are very hard to get - they've sold out online, and there's very few delivery drivers. Pharmacies are limiting sales of medicine to several for each customer. Chinese herbal treatment 莲花清瘟 is popular
7/There's a major delivery driver shortage, as many have come down with COVID and most people are staying home and ordering in - soaring demand, tight labor supply. Packages waiting for delivery piling up on the streets.
8/Important to note that experts say the real test of China's healthcare system isn't in first-tier cities like Beijing or Shanghai, but in the countryside where the medical infrastructure is much poorer. We'll have to see what happens as this wave of infections spread further
9/Also checked out a vaccination spot. Experts say boosting China's elderly vaccination rate is critical to lower fatalities.
For some reason, this spot was totally empty. There was absolutely nobody getting a shot the 10~ minutes I was there.
For some reason, this spot was totally empty. There was absolutely nobody getting a shot the 10~ minutes I was there.
10/Nurses didn't let me shoot inside, but it was a big space - school auditorium sized - with about a dozen nurses & nobody getting injected.
Not sure why, and it's only one spot. National data shows vaccination rates are climbing. Here's a poster urging people to get the shot:
Not sure why, and it's only one spot. National data shows vaccination rates are climbing. Here's a poster urging people to get the shot:
11/If there's going to be a big wave of hospitalizations, we should start seeing it very soon, if not already. Feels like half the people I know in Beijing are infected.
12/Shorter lines for testing, as many seem to not be bothering. A friend got tested six or seven times in the past week and none of the results showed up. Unclear why. But some places still require a negative test result within 48 hours.
13/It does feel like there's more ambulances on the street. The Beijing Emergency Medical Center is reporting a 6x spike in calls.
14/Words of warning from a top HK epidemiologist. I hear similarly dire warnings from people inside the medical system here - "brace for impact", one said.
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