When China suddenly scrapped onerous zero-COVID measures in December, the country wasn’t ready for a massive onslaught of cases, with hospitals turning away ambulances and crematoriums burning bodies around the clock. Chinese state media claimed the decision to open up was based on “scientific analysis and shrewd calculation,” and “by no means impulsive." But in reality, China’s ruling Communist Party ignored repeated efforts by top medical experts to kickstart exit plans until it was too late, The Associated Press found. Instead, the reopening came suddenly at the onset of winter, when the virus spreads most easily. Many older people weren’t vaccinated, pharmacies lacked antivirals, and hospitals didn’t have adequate supplies or staff — leading to as many as hundreds of thousands of deaths that may have been avoided, according to academic modeling, more than 20 interviews with current and former China Center for Disease Control and Prevention employees, experts and government advisors, and internal reports and directives obtained by the AP. “If they had a real plan to exit earlier, so many things could have been avoided,” said Zhang Zuo-Feng, an epidemiologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. “Many deaths could have been prevented.” Experts estimate that many hundreds of thousands of people, perhaps millions, may have died in China’s wave of COVID-19 — far higher than the official toll of under 90,000, but still a much lower death rate than in Western countries. However, 200,000 to 300,000 deaths could have been prevented if the country was better vaccinated and stocked with antivirals, according to modeling by the University of Hong Kong. Some scientists estimate even more lives could have been saved. “It wasn’t a sound public health decision at all,” said a China CDC official, declining to be named to speak candidly on a sensitive matter. “It’s absolutely bad timing … this was not a prepared opening.” For two years, China stood out for its tough but successful controls against the virus, credited with saving millions of lives as other countries struggled with stop-and-start lockdowns. But with the emergence of the highly infectious omicron variant last year, many of China’s top medical experts and officials worried zero-COVID was unsustainable. In late 2021, China’s leaders began discussing how to lift restrictions. As early as March 2022, top medical experts submitted a detailed reopening strategy to the State Council, China’s cabinet. The existence of the document is being reported for the first time by the AP. But discussions were silenced after an outbreak the same month in Shanghai, which prompted Chinese leader Xi Jinping to lock the city down. Chinese public health experts stopped speaking publicly about preparing for an exit, as they were wary of openly challenging a policy supported by Xi. By the time the Shanghai outbreak was under control, China was months away from the 20th Party Congress, the country’s most important political meeting in a decade, making reopening politically difficult. So the country stuck to mass testing and quarantining millions of people. “Everybody waits for the party congress,” said one medical expert, declining to be named to comment on a sensitive topic. “There’s inevitably a degree of everyone being very cautious.” At the Congress in mid-October, top officials differing with Xi were sidelined. Instead, six loyalists followed Xi onstage in a new leadership lineup, signaling his total domination of the party. With the congress over, some voices in the public health sector finally piped up. In an internal document published Oct. 28, obtained by The Associated Press and reported here for the first time, Wu Zunyou, China’s CDC chief epidemiologist, criticized the Beijing city government for excessive COVID-19 controls, saying it had “no scientific basis." He called it a “distortion” of the central government’s zero-COVID policy, which risked “intensifying public sentiment and causing social dissatisfaction.” Read more: Facing COVID surge, China expanding hospitals, ICUs At the same time, he called the virus policies of the central government “absolutely correct.” One former CDC official said Wu felt helpless because he was ordered to advocate for zero-COVID in public, even as he disagreed at times with its excesses in private. Wu did not respond to an email requesting comment. A person acquainted with Wu confirmed he wrote the internal report. Another who spoke up was Zhong Nanshan, a doctor renowned for raising the alarm about the original COVID outbreak Wuhan. He wrote to Xi personally, telling him that zero-COVID was not sustainable and urging a gradual reopening, said a person acquainted with Zhong. In early November, then-Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, China’s top “COVID czar,” summoned experts from sectors including health, travel and the economy to discuss adjusting Beijing’s virus policies, according to three people with direct knowledge of the meetings. On Nov. 10, Xi ordered adjustments. The next day, Beijing announced 20 new measures tweaking restrictions, such as reclassifying risk zones and reducing quarantine times. But at the same time, Xi made clear, China was sticking to zero-COVID. The government wanted order. Instead, the measures caused chaos. With conflicting signals from the top, local governments weren’t sure whether to lock down or open up. Policies changed by the day. In late November, public frustration boiled over. A deadly apartment fire in China’s far west Xinjiang region sparked nationwide protests over locked doors and other virus control measures. Some called on Xi to resign, the most direct challenge to the Communist Party’s power since pro-democracy protests in 1989. Riot police moved in and the protests were swiftly quelled. But behind the scenes, the mood was shifting. References to zero-COVID vanished from government statements. State newswire Xinhua said the pandemic was causing “fatigue, anxiety and tension,” and that the cost of controlling it was increasing day by day. Days after the protests, Sun held meetings where she told medical experts the state planned to “walk briskly” out of zero-COVID. The final decision was made suddenly, and with little direct input from public health experts, several told the AP. “None of us expected the 180-degree turn,” a government advisor said. Many in the Chinese government believe the protests accelerated Xi’s decision to scrap virus controls entirely, according to three current and former state employees. “It was the trigger,” said one, not identified because they weren’t authorized to speak to the media. On Dec. 6, Xi instructed officials to change COVID-19 controls, Xinhua reported. Read more: WHO 'continues to urge' China to share more data amid Covid surge The next day, Chinese health authorities announced 10 sweeping measures that effectively scrapped controls, canceling virus test requirements, mandatory centralized quarantine and location-tracking health QR codes. The decision to reopen so suddenly caught the country by surprise. “Even three days’ notice would have been good,” said a former China CDC official. “The way this happened was just unbelievable.”

China will reopen its borders to tourists and resume issuing all visas Wednesday as it tries to revive tourism and its economy following a three-year halt during the COVID-19 pandemic.China is one of the last major countries to reopen its borders to tourists. The announcement Tuesday came after it declared a “decisive victory” over COVID-19 in February. All types of visas will resume from Wednesday. Visa-free entry also will resume at destinations such as Hainan island as well as for cruise ships entering Shanghai that had no visa requirement before COVID-19. Foreigners holding visas issued before March 28, 2020, that are still valid will be allowed to enter China. Visa-free entry will resume for foreigners entering Guangdong in southern China from Hong Kong and Macao. The notice didn't specify whether vaccination certificates or negative COVID-19 tests would be required, but Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters Tuesday that China had “optimized measures for remote testing of people coming to China from relevant countries," allowing pre-boarding antigen testing instead of nucleic acid testing. “All these have been well implemented, and the epidemic risk is generally controllable,” Wang said at a daily briefing. The move would “further facilitate the exchange of Chinese and foreign personnel,” according to the notice posted on the websites of numerous Chinese missions and embassies. China had stuck to a harsh “zero-COVID” strategy involving sudden lockdowns and daily COVID-19 testing to try to stop the virus before abandoning most aspects of the policy in December amid growing opposition. The relaxation of visa rules follows China's approval of outbound group tours for Chinese citizens, the results of which have been positive, and the overall improvement in pandemic conditions, Wang said. “China will continue to make better arrangements for the safe, healthy and orderly movement of Chinese and foreign personnel on the basis of scientific assessments and in light of the situation," he said. “We also hope that all parties will join China in creating favorable conditions for cross-border exchanges."

Bangladesh reported nine more Covid-19 cases in 24 hours till Tuesday morning. With the new number, the country's total caseload rose to 2,037,929, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). However, the official death toll from the disease remained unchanged at 29,445 as no new fatalities were reported. The daily case test positivity rate rose to 0.55 percent from Monday’s 0.33 percent against the tests of 1,642 samples. The recovery and death rates remained unchanged at 98.47 percent and 1.44 percent, respectively. Also read: Covid-19: Bangladesh reports 2 more cases Bangladesh registered its highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year and highest number of fatalities of 264 on August 10 the same year.  

The overall number of Covid-19 cases around the world has now surpassed 681 million. According to the latest global data, the total Covid-19 case count amounted to 681,658,125 while the death toll reached 6,812,441 this morning. The US has reported 105,649,010 Covid-19 cases so far, while 1,148,993 people have died from the virus in the country — both highest counts globally. India logged 524 new Covid-19 cases, while the active cases rose to 3,618, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday. The death toll has increased to 5,30,781 with one death recorded in Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated. Read: China once again urges U.S. to immediately stop political manipulation on COVID origins-tracing: FM spokesperson The Covid-19 case tally was recorded at 4.46 crore (4,46,90,492). Meanwhile, France has registered 39,657,165 Covid-19 cases so far, occupying the third position in the world number-wise, and 165,213 people have died in the country, as per Worldometer. Covid-19 situation in Bangladesh Bangladesh reported seven more Covid-19 cases in 24 hours till Monday morning. With the new cases, the country's total caseload rose to 2,037,929, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). However, the official death toll from Covid-19 remained unchanged at 29,445 as no new fatalities were reported.    

Bangladesh reported two more Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours till Saturday morning. With the new numbers, the country's total caseload rose to 2,037,856, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). However, the official death toll from the disease remained unchanged at 29,445 as no new fatalities were reported. Read: RU student stabbed on campus, 3 held The daily case test positivity rate dropped to 0.23 percent from Friday's 0.26 percent as 876 samples were tested. The recovery rate increased to 98.35 percent. However, the death rate remained unchanged at 1.44 percent.  

Bangladesh reported four more Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours till Friday morning. With the new numbers, the country's total caseload rose to 2,037,854, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). However, the official death toll from the disease remained unchanged at 29,445 as no new fatalities were reported. Read: One more dengue case reported in 24 hrs: DGHS The daily case test positivity rate dropped to 0.26 percent from Thursday's 0.44 percent as 1,537 samples were tested. The recovery rate increased to 98.33 percent. However, the death rate remained unchanged at 1.44 percent. Bangladesh registered its highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year and highest number of fatalities of 264 on August 10 the same year.

The total number of Covid-19 cases in the world is now approaching 680 million. According to the latest global data, the total Covid-19 case count amounted to 679,820,161 while the death toll from the virus reached 6,799,203 this morning. The US has reported 105,266,332 Covid-19 cases so far, while 1,145,415 people have died from the virus in the country — both highest counts globally. India logged 218 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases rose to 2,149, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday. The death toll stands at 5,30,769 with five new deaths reported. The virus case tally was recorded at 4.46 crore (4,46,86,017), while the national Covid-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.80 per cent, the ministry said. Read: Coronavirus origins still a mystery 3 years into pandemic Meanwhile, France has registered 39,616,580 Covid-19 cases so far, occupying the third position in the world number-wise, and 164,929 people have died in the country, as per Worldometer. Covid-19 situation in Bangladesh Bangladesh reported 10 more Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours till Monday morning. With the new numbers, the country's total caseload rose to 2,037,818, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). However, the official death toll from the disease remained unchanged at 29,445 as no new fatalities were reported. The daily Covid-19 test positivity rate increased to 0.44 percent from Sunday’s 0.51 percent as 2,253 samples were tested.  

Bangladesh reported 13 more Covid-19 cases in 24 hours till Wednesday morning. With the new numbers, the country's total caseload rose to 2,037,716, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). However, the official death toll from the disease remained unchanged at 29,445 as no new fatalities were reported. The daily case test positivity rate fell to 0.53 percent from Tuesday’s 0.88 percent as 2439 samples were tested. The recovery rate increased to 98.06 percent while the death rate remained unchanged at 1.45 percent. Bangladesh registered its highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year and its highest number of fatalities of 264 on August 10 the same year.  

The overall number of Covid-19 cases in the world is now approaching 678 million. According to the latest global data, the total Covid-19 case count amounted to 677,724,407 while the death toll from the virus reached 6,783,338 this morning (February 14, 2023). The US has reported 104,787,053 Covid-19 cases so far, while 1,140,209 people have died from the virus in the country — both highest counts globally. India reported 82 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours, the union health ministry data showed on Monday. While active cases declined to 1,837, the total number of cases has reached 44.7 million so far. Read: US lauds countries, partners including Bangladesh who participated in COVID-19 Global Action Plan Meanwhile, France has registered 39,565,489 Covid-19 cases so far, occupying the third position in the world number-wise, while 164,587 people have died in the country, as per Worldometer. Covid-19 situation in Bangladesh Bangladesh reported one more Covid-linked death and 9 cases in the 24 hours till Monday morning. With the new numbers, the country's total fatalities rose to 29,445 and caseload to 2,037,688, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). The daily Covid-19 test positivity rate increased to 0.45 percent from Sunday's 0.28 as 2,022 samples were tested. Read More: Covid-19: Bangladesh logs 8 more cases in 24 hours.

Bangladesh reported eight more Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours till Thursday morning. With the new number, the country's total caseload rose to 2,037,655, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Read more: Bangladesh sees one more Covid death, 11 cases However, the official death toll from the disease remained unchanged at 29,444 as no new fatalities were reported. The daily case test positivity rate dropped to 0.36 percent from Wednesday's 0.42 as the 2,622 samples were tested. The recovery rate increased to 97.97% while the death rate remained at 1.44 percent. Bangladesh registered its highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year and its highest number of fatalities of 264 on August 10 the same year.