About a month after China was hit by what appeared to be a surge in respiratory illnesses, especially among children, the country's National Health Commission (NHC) leapt into action.
It held a series of media conferences and put out public service announcements, beginning with an announcement on Nov 24 and an entire press conference dedicated to the subject two days later.
The moves came only after the World Health Organisation (WHO) asked China for more details about the surge.
Experts say, however, they came too little, too late - the cases of illness have led to a wave of public panic and an overwhelmed medical system.
China's top health authority had warned of a potential wave of seasonal influenza - 2023's winter season is the first since the country fully lifted strict Covid-19 restrictions in January - but few took heed.
Then earlier in November, images started to emerge on social media of overcrowded hospitals in Beijing and other northern provinces, with many patients suffering from respiratory illnesses.
That called to mind the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, when reports from Wuhan referenced an "undiagnosed pneumonia".
By the time WHO made an official request for more information on the current cases on Nov 22, there were increased concerns from ordinary folks and the medical community alike about whether the Chinese government was concealing the outbreak of a new virus.
This pushed the NHC and various local governments into a publicity drive.
They have been holding media conferences to reassure worried citizens that the spike in the number of respiratory illnesses is merely a result of the winter flu season, while also putting out daily advice on how to prevent catching a cold this winter season.
Denne historien er fra November 30, 2023-utgaven av The Straits Times.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra November 30, 2023-utgaven av The Straits Times.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Response to retention of Siglap block shows everyday buildings have value
As to what to do with it now, one could look to Hong Kong's Mei Ho House for inspiration
Worker taken to hospital after falling 2.3m at RTS Link construction site
A construction worker was injured on Oct 10 after falling from a height of about 2.3m at a worksite for the upcoming Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link station in Woodlands North.
Battered Florida begins long road to recovery after major hurricanes
Many still without power, water and sewage services; clearing of debris may take months
Famous red gate at Tokyo university in danger of collapsing
TOKYO — Generations of Japan’s top scholars and leaders have passed through it on their way to building an advanced society. Now the Akamon Gate, the distinctive red gate on The University of Tokyo’s campus in central Tokyo, is in danger of collapse.
Northern Lights animate night skies around the globe
NEW YORK - Night skies came aglow on Oct 10 with the shimmering palette of the Northern Lights, or aurora borealis.
Remains of climber who went missing 100 years ago found on Everest
KATHMANDU – A documentary team discovered human remains on Mount Everest apparently belonging to a man who went missing while trying to reach the summit of the peak 100 years ago, National Geographic magazine reported on Oct 11.
From timber to tech Sibu's spotty transition to joining Sarawak's booming economy
SIBU, Sarawak - On the hour-long cruise along Sibu's waterfront, a recorded audio commentary boasts that the town once had more millionaires than anywhere else in Borneo, thanks to the post-war timber boom.
Two Singaporeans among six opera performers arrested in Penang
BUTTERWORTH, Penang - Six foreign opera actors, including two Singaporean women, were apprehended in Penang, Malaysia, for allegedly breaching their social visit passes by staging performances.
Woman in Russian tank factory sent to penal colony for selling info to Ukraine
MOSCOW - A woman who worked for a Russian tank factory was convicted of treason and sentenced to 12 1/2 years in a penal colony on Oct 11 for selling military information to Ukraine.
Malaysians capitalising on stronger ringgit to buy gadgets
GEORGE TOWN, Penang - With the ringgit on an upward trend, upgrading electronic gadgets seems to be on everyone's minds in Malaysia now.
