Antiviral Drugs out of Stock as ‘Influenza’ Rages Across China

Chinese media warn consumers against 'hoarding panic' as COVID fears grow

Elementary school students are accompanied by their parents as they walk to school on the first day of the new semester in Beijing on February 13, 2023. WANG ZHAO/AFP via Getty Images

Schools across China are closing their doors due to a surge of fever and flu-like symptoms throughout the country. Chinese authorities have insisted that the widespread outbreak is due to a strain of influenza A, while the antiviral drug Oseltamivir (available in the United States under the brand name “Tamiflu”) is sold out in many Chinese pharmacies.

The Epoch Times reported recently that China could be facing a massive wave of COVID-19 infections, with the Shanghai Metro system issuing a document to employees titled “Procedure to Handle COVID-19 Positive Passengers” and warning staff “to prepare for epidemic control.”

State-Controlled Media Report on Influenza, Not COVID-19

On Feb. 27, Chinese state media confirmed that “the intensity of seasonal influenza epidemics is currently on the rise.” However, the article said that members of the public should not self-medicate or try to stock-up on antiviral medication, warning that “hoarding medicines is hoarding panic.”