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A Shanghai hospital has told its staff to prepare for a “tragic battle” with COVID-19 as it expects half of the city’s 25 million people will get infected by the end of next week.

It is two weeks since most zero-COVID restrictions were suddenly reversed in China, leaving the virus to sweep through the country largely unchecked.

The Shanghai Deji Hospital, posting on its official WeChat account late on Wednesday, estimated there were about 5.43 million positive cases in the city and predicted 12.5 million will get infected by the end of the year.

People wearing protective masks and face shields arrive at a hospital, as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreaks continue in Shanghai, China, December 20, 2022. REUTERS/Aly Song
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People wearing protective masks and face shields arrive at a hospital in Shanghai

“This year’s Christmas Eve, New Year’s Day, and the Lunar New Year are destined to be unsafe,” said the private hospital, which employs about 400 staff.

“In this tragic battle, the entire Greater Shanghai will fall, and we will infect all the staff of the hospital! We will infect the whole family!

“Our patients will all be infected! We have no choice, and we cannot escape.”

China‘s official number of deaths since the pandemic began three years ago stands at 5,241 – a fraction of what most other countries faced.

A Chinese health official confirmed on Thursday that China only counts deaths from pneumonia or respiratory failure in its official COVID death toll.

Fatalities that occur in patients with pre-existing illnesses are not counted as COVID-19 deaths, said Wang Guiqiang, the head of infectious disease at Peking University First Hospital.

This runs counter to the policy in most countries of counting any death in which COVID-19 is a factor as a coronavirus-related death.

Read more: ‘In Wuhan, there is creeping sense more suffering is coming’

China reported no new COVID deaths for a second consecutive day on 21 December, even as funeral parlour workers say demand has jumped in the past week, pushing fees higher.

Medical staff moves a patient into a fever clinic at a hospital, as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreaks continue in Shanghai, China, December 19, 2022. REUTERS/Aly Song
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Medical staff move a patient into a fever clinic at a hospital, as a COVID outbreak continues in Shanghai

Experts say China could face more than a million COVID deaths next year, given relatively low full vaccination rates among its vulnerable elderly population.

China’s vaccination rate is above 90%, but the rate for adults who have received booster shots drops to 57.9%, and to 42.3% for people aged 80 and above, government data shows.

Authorities confirmed 389,306 cases with symptoms, but some experts say official figures have become an unreliable guide as less testing is being done following the easing of restrictions.

A woman wearing a face mask and face shield walks past a Christmas tree outside a shopping mall, as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreaks continue in Shanghai, China,

Infections in China are likely to be more than a million a day with deaths at more than 5,000 a day, a “stark contrast” from official data, British-based health data firm Airfinity said this week.

At a hospital in Beijing, footage from state television CCTV showed rows of elderly patients in the intensive care unit breathing through oxygen masks. It was unclear how many had COVID.

The deputy director of the hospital’s emergency department, Han Xue, told CCTV they were receiving 400 patients a day, four times more than usual.

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Iran says its carried out ‘mighty and successful’ attack on US bases in Qatar and Iraq

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Iran says its carried out 'mighty and successful' attack on US bases in Qatar and Iraq

Iran claims it has carried out a “mighty and successful response” to “America’s aggression” after launching missile attacks on US military bases in Qatar and Iraq.

The attacks come after the US dropped “bunker buster bombs” on three key nuclear sites in Iran over the weekend.

Iran’s response this evening is the latest escalation in tensions in the volatile region.

Qatar has said there are no casualties at the al Udeid base following the strikes and that its “air defences thwarted the attack and successfully intercepted the Iranian missiles”.

People in Qatar’s capital, Doha, had stopped and gazed up at the sky as missiles flew and interceptors fired.

Follow latest: Iran attacks US bases

Iran had announced on state television that it had attacked American forces stationed at the al Udeid airbase.

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A caption on screen called it “a mighty and successful response” to “America’s aggression” as martial music played.

Iran also targeted the Ain al-Assad base housing US troops in western Iraq, an Iraqi security official told the Associated Press.

Traces are seen in the sky over Qatar after Iran's armed forces targeted the al Udeid base. Pic: Reuters
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Traces are seen in the sky over Qatar after Iran’s armed forces targeted the al Udeid base. Pic: Reuters

A US government official has said the White House and US defence department is “closely monitoring” the potential threats to its base.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump is in the Situation Room in the White House with his team following the Iranian strikes.

The attacks came shortly after Qatar closed its airspace as a precaution amid threats from Iran.

Just before the explosions, Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on the social platform X: “We neither initiated the war nor seeking it. But we will not leave invasion to the great Iran without answer.”

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Major wildfire on Greek island of Chios leads to evacuations – as officials warn ‘situation remains critical’

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Major wildfire on Greek island of Chios leads to evacuations - as officials warn 'situation remains critical'

Nearly 200 firefighters are battling a major wildfire on the Greek island of Chios.

The fire started on Sunday in three separate locations near the main town, which is also called Chios. The flames were fanned by strong winds and turned into one large blaze.

Local media footage and photos showed firefighters battling towering flames burning through woodland and farmland as night fell. Power cuts have also been reported.

Greek authorities sent fresh evacuation notifications for two areas near Chios town on Monday morning.

Local residents watch a wildfire approaching in Kofinas, on the eastern Aegean island of Chios, Greece.
Pic: Politischios.gr /AP
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People watch a wildfire approaching. Pic: Politischios.gr /AP

Push alerts have been sent to mobile phones in the area urging people to evacuate a total of 16 villages, settlements and neighbourhoods on the outskirts of the town.

“The situation remains critical as firefighting forces are still dealing with many active fronts, several of which being near hamlets,” a Greek government spokesman said.

The fire department said 190 firefighters were trying to control the fire on Monday, with strong winds hampering their efforts.

A man uses a branch to battle against a large wildfire burning in Kofinas, on the island of Chios, Greece.
Pic: Politischios/AP
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Pic: Politischios/AP

Some 35 vehicles, five helicopters and two water-dropping planes were also involved in the effort.

A specialist fire department arson investigation team has been sent to the eastern Aegean island to look into the causes.

Read more from Sky News:
Suspected spy arrested in Crete
Powerful space telescope images show ‘peek of cosmos’

Wildfires are common during Greece’s hot, dry summers but authorities have said climate change is fuelling bigger and more frequent blazes.

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Last year, hundreds of tourists and residents were forced to flee wildfires on the holiday island of Kos.

In 2023, forest fires killed at least 20 people in the north of the country and forced 19,000 people to flee the island of Rhodes.

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22 killed after suicide bomber opens fire at church in Syria – and then detonates explosive vest

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22 killed after suicide bomber opens fire at church in Syria - and then detonates explosive vest

At least 22 people have been killed after a suicide bomber opened fire at a church in Syria – and then detonated an explosive vest.

This is the first such incident since Bashar al Assad was toppled in December, and officials claim the attacker was a member of Islamic State.

It happened at a Greek Orthodox church in Damascus, with estimates suggesting that 350 worshippers were praying there at the time.

Pic: White Helmets via Reuters
Image:
Pic: White Helmets via Reuters

Witnesses said the perpetrator had his face covered when he began shooting – and blew himself up as crowds attempted to remove him from the building.

A security source told Reuters that two men were involved in the attack, with a priest saying he saw a second gunman at the entrance.

Officials say 63 people were injured, and children were among the casualties.

Syria’s information minister, Hamza Mostafa, condemned the terrorist attack – writing on X: “This cowardly act goes against the civic values that bring us together.

More on Islamic State

“We will not back down from our commitment to equal citizenship… and we also affirm the state’s pledge to exert all its efforts to combat criminal organisations.”

Read more world news:
Live updates after US strikes Iran
Putin threatens nuclear strike on Ukraine

Pic: Reuters
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Pic: Reuters

Reports suggest that IS has attempted to attack several churches in Syria since Assad fell, but this is the first time they have succeeded.

Footage filmed by Syria’s civil defence, the White Helmets, showed scenes of destruction inside the church – including bloodied floors and shattered pews.

The Greek foreign ministry says it “unequivocally condemns the abhorrent terrorist suicide bombing”, and called on Syria “to guarantee the safety” of Christians with new measures.

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