Crowds overwhelm Beijing hospital as cases of respiratory illness surge

Crowds packed into a waiting area inside a Chinese hospital amid a surge in respiratory illnesses, footage released on Saturday, 25 November and Sunday, 26 November shows.

Cases among children appear to be especially high in northern areas such as Beijing and Liaoning province, with long waits at hospitals.

Chinese health officials have urged local authorities to increase the number of fever clinics to respond to the surge in the country's first full winter since easing Covid-19 restrictions.

A World Health Organisation (WHO) official said the spike is not as high as before the pandemic and no new or unusual pathogens had been found in the recent cases.