Beijing: China's National Health Commission began reducing its daily COVID-19 report on Wednesday in response to a sharp drop in PCR testing since the government eased anti-virus measures following daily case highs.

According to a notice on the commission's website, it has stopped publishing daily figures on the number of COVID-19 cases with no symptoms because it is "impossible to accurately grasp the actual number of asymptomatic infected persons," who have generally accounted for the vast majority of new infections. They are only reporting confirmed cases discovered in public testing facilities.

Beijing's streets have grown eerily quiet, with lines forming outside fever clinics — the number of which has increased from 94 to 303. This poses a key challenge for China as it relaxes its strict "zero-COVID" policy. With mass-PCR testing no longer obligatory, people with mild symptoms are allowed to recuperate at home.

Beijing residents say they were unable to confirm whether they had the coronavirus because of a lack of antigen test kits. Authorities said they were sourcing millions of COVID-19 antigen rapid test kits for Beijing pharmacies, but they remained difficult to obtain. "Beijing is really confused right now," a Beijing resident surnamed Zhu said, declining to provide their full name to speak on the sensitive topic.

Despite a push to increase vaccinations among the elderly, two vaccination centres set up in Beijing on Tuesday were empty except for medical personnel. Despite widespread concern about a major outbreak, there was no evidence of a surge in patient numbers.

A dozen people waited in a line of blue tents a few kilometres (miles) south at Chaoyang Hospital, deflecting winds in subzero temperatures. As she waited, one person in the line took out a bottle of disinfectant and sprayed it around her.

China reported just 2,249 "confirmed" infections Wednesday, bringing the nation's total to 369,918. It has recorded 5,235 deaths — compared with 1.1 million in the United States. Inquiries to health hotlines have increased six-fold, according to state media.

China has stopped tracking some travel, potentially reducing the likelihood people will be forced into quarantine for visiting COVID-19 hot spots. The move follows the government's dramatic announcement last week that it was ending many of the strictest measures. Despite that, China's international borders remain largely shut and there has been no word on when restrictions will be eased.

Protests over the restrictions turned into calls for Xi and the Communist Party to resign last month in Beijing and other cities, a level of public dissent not seen in decades. The party retaliated with a massive show of force, and an unknown number of people were arrested during or after the protests.
Experts warn that if a large-scale outbreak occurs, the party may reverse course and reimpose restrictions.