China admits Covid numbers no longer reflect reality, impossible to track cases

China’s top health body said Wednesday the true scale of coronavirus infections in the country is now “impossible" to track, with officials warning cases are rising rapidly in Beijing after the government abruptly abandoned its zero-Covid policy last week.

After nearly three years of attempting to stamp out the virus, the sudden end of mass testing and quarantines has led to a corresponding drop in officially reported infections, which hit an all-time high only last month.

With testing no longer required for much of the country, China’s National Health Commission on Wednesday admitted its numbers no longer reflected reality.

The statement comes after Vice Premier Sun Chunlan said the capital’s new infections were “rapidly growing", according to state media.

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Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping, his ruling Politburo and senior government officials will meet over the next two days to plot a recovery for China's battered economy just as the nation faces a surge in COVID-19 infections.

The key annual economic policy conference takes place as virus infections spike in the capital Beijing a week after the leadership abandoned its tough "zero-COVID" controls.