Pneumonia's Major Outbreak in China Alarming... "Revival of 'Health Code' Used During COVID-19 Era for Quarantine"

Resumption of Health Code Use in Some Areas
"Public Concern Grows Over Return of Controls"

In some regions of China where respiratory diseases such as Mycoplasma pneumonia are rapidly spreading, the 'Health Code' has reappeared. This code is a QR code that allows checking an individual's health records, including infection status, and was used for COVID-19 pandemic prevention measures.

According to Radio Free Asia (RFA) and others on the 4th (local time), the governments of Sichuan and Guangdong provinces in China revived the Health Code starting from the 1st. Previously, China's Health Code was discarded on December 7 last year when the strict quarantine policy was lifted.

China has operated a COVID-19 prevention and infection tracking system using QR code scanning.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Health Code is a smartphone application containing information such as the user's PCR test date and negative status, vaccination status, and places visited. It can be easily checked by scanning the QR code at public places, public transportation, restaurants, and more.

During the period when China's strict quarantine policy, known as 'Zero COVID,' was implemented, the QR code was used to distinguish between infected and non-infected individuals, with movement restrictions imposed on the non-infected.

According to RFA, the article about the revival of the Health Code, first published by China's Zhengdan News, has now been deleted from the online version. RFA claimed, "As respiratory diseases spread in China, authorities are censoring articles claiming the Health Code has been revived," adding that "this reflects public concerns that COVID-19 prevention policies might return."

Meanwhile, in China, the number of children infected with Mycoplasma pneumonia has recently increased, causing local pediatric clinics to become overwhelmed due to the respiratory disease outbreak. For example, in three major hospitals in Quzhou, Zhejiang Province, the number of children diagnosed with this pneumonia has surged 17.8 times compared to last year over about two months since September.

Neighboring countries are closely monitoring the situation in China. On the 24th of last month, the Indian Ministry of Health issued a statement saying, "India is preparing for situations such as a public health emergency."

In South Korea as well, on the 4th, the Korean Association of Pediatric Hospitals issued an emergency statement urging, "To prevent Mycoplasma infections, it is necessary not only to rely on individuals washing their hands but also to prepare government-level preemptive measures for outbreaks, learning from the COVID-19 experience."