China races to expand Covid-19 critical care as studies point to a million or more deaths

The government said earlier this month that China currently has 138,100 intensive care beds, or about 10 per 100,000 people. - AFP

BEIJING (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): Two weeks since China abruptly lifted its long-held zero-Covid restrictions, health authorities are scrambling to expand critical care capacity to deal with the surge in infections, which has already led to long lines at under-resourced hospitals.

Public health experts warn that attempting to build up resources within a short period of time will be a monumental challenge, and there is serious concern that the tsunami of cases could overwhelm current intensive care unit (ICU) capacity, leading to unnecessary deaths.