New supply chain disruptions
China is expecting a peak in COVID-19 infections within a week, with authorities predicting extra strain on the country's health system. A Shanghai hospital has estimated half of the commercial hub's 25 million people would get infected by the end of next week. Experts say China could face more than a million COVID deaths next year.
China's abrupt change in policy has caught a fragile health system unprepared, with hospitals scrambling for beds and blood, pharmacies for drugs and authorities racing to build clinics. Worker shortages and factory closures, due to the rapid spread of the virus, are the latest disruptions to hit the world's supply chains.