China Faces Spike in COVID-19 Cases, White House: We're Ready to Help in an Acceptable Way

Illustration of COVID-19 in China. (Wikimedia Commons/zhizhou with)

JAKARTA - The United States stands ready to help China deal with a spike in COVID-19 infections if Beijing asks for help, the White House said Wednesday.

Still, John Kirby, a White House national security spokesman, told reporters China had not asked for help at this stage.

"We've made it clear that we stand ready to help in any way they might find acceptable. That was true when the pandemic was raging, and it's true today", Kirby told reporters, launching Reuters on December 15.

Earlier, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters this week US and Chinese officials had discussed COVID-19 and countries' different responses to the pandemic were discussed at US-China meetings but did not provide details.

"I want to provide an opportunity for us to be able to have those conversations on sensitive diplomatic channels. And we'll see what, if anything, comes of it", he said.

China began moving away from its "zero COVID" policy this month after protests against the economic-damaging restrictions President Xi Jinping has championed.

As previously announced, the sudden easing of restrictions has sparked long queues outside fever clinics since last week, raising fears the wave of infections is rising, even though the official tally of new cases has trended lower recently as authorities cut back on testing.

Health experts say China's sudden easing of strict COVID rules is likely to trigger a spike in severe cases in the coming months. Meanwhile, hospitals in big cities are already showing signs of tension.

The number of doctors and nurses in China who have contracted COVID-19 continues to grow, as people with symptoms are filling hospitals and clinics, according to medical staff and dozens of social media posts.