China reported only 8 new coronavirus cases Friday. 3 were imported.
China reported its second day of single-digit COVID-19 coronavirus cases in the pandemic's epicenter, the city of Wuhan, on Friday, and China's National Health Commission declared that the country's epidemic has finally peaked. There were five new cases in Wuhan on Thursday, and eight total in China, the commission said Friday. The other three cases — two in Shanghai, one in Beijing — were from people who had traveled to China from areas abroad that have their own outbreaks, the health commission said. Wuhan reported eight new cases on Wednesday, part of 15 new cases nationwide.
Mainland China has reported 80,942 coronavirus cases, including 67,786 in Hubei province, home to Wuhan. Hubei has registered 3,062 COVID-19 deaths, the bulk of the 4,728 deaths worldwide. As of Friday, there have been 128,392 cases of the coronavirus confirmed in the world since the pandemic started in January.
Still, "two months into the coronavirus epidemic in China, tens of millions of people are still under quarantine and much of the economy remains in a deep freeze," The Wall Street Journal reports. China was able to control its epidemic through strict quarantines, "mandates from central authorities against hoarding and profiteering," and heavy central planning. "It isn't clear if other countries will want to go as far as China, whose central government intervenes often in commerce," the Journal notes. But "keeping its stores filled with food and other essentials — even in hard-hit places like the city of Wuhan — [was] a crucial factor in maintaining public order throughout the crisis."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Shopping trolleys: the new must-have accessory
Speed Read Sales are soaring as new designs help shed that old-fashioned image
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
5 ways to help the environment while on vacation
The Week Recommends An afternoon of planting trees could be the best part of your trip
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Doctors are taking on dental duties in low-income areas
Under the radar Physicians are biting into the dentistry industry
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Texas dairy worker gets bird flu from infected cow
Speed Read The virus has been spreading among cattle in Texas, Kansas, Michigan and New Mexico
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Dengue hits the Americas hard and early
Speed Read Puerto Rico has declared an epidemic as dengue cases surge
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Covid four years on: have we got over the pandemic?
Today's Big Question Brits suffering from both lockdown nostalgia and collective trauma that refuses to go away
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
US bans final type of asbestos
Speed Read Exposure to asbestos causes about 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The hollow classroom
Opinion Remote school let kids down. It will take much more than extra tutoring for kids to recover.
By Mark Gimein Published
-
Excess screen time is making children only see what is in front of them
Under the radar The future is looking blurry. And very nearsighted.
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Covid-19: what to know about UK's new Juno and Pirola variants
in depth Rapidly spreading new JN.1 strain is 'yet another reminder that the pandemic is far from over'
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Long-term respiratory illness is here to stay
The Explainer Covid is not the only disease with a long version
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published