Shandong, Covid-19 returns. Economic recovery uncertain

After almost two months, new domestic cases of infection are recorded. Qingdao is the epicentre of the new outbreak: tests on 9 million residents. Exports and imports are growing; the worsening of the health emergency in the rest of the world threatens the economic future of the country.

Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - China yesterday recorded the first domestic coronavirus infections in almost two months.

The National Health Commission reported the news, highlighting that of the 13 cases counted, six concern locally transmitted infections; the rest are people who have returned from abroad.

The last domestic infections date to August 15, and were identified in Xinjiang. The new hotbed of infection is the eastern province of Shandong. In Qingdao, a local city of 9 million inhabitants, diagnostic tests have started today on the entire population: on 11 October a city hospital discovered a handful of cases of contagion.

At the moment, there are about 85,600 infections in the country; just over 4,600 deaths, but many Chinese and analysts doubt the veracity of the figures.

Nonetheless, the country's economy seems to be improving. According to the Beijing customs authorities, exports increased by 9.9% in September, and imports by 13.2%, compared to the same period last year.

However, analysts note that full recovery is threatened by the worsening of the health emergency in the rest of the world, especially in Europe. The return of the disease in parts of China adds uncertainty to the national economic picture.

• china
• virus
• coronavirus
• pandemic
• covid-19
• shandong
• qingdao
• contagions
• infections
• domestic
• imported
• export
• import
• economy