China is likely to roll out a fourth Covid shot – or second booster – this week for elderly citizens aged 60 and above, plus high-risk groups with serious underlying disease, the Global Times says.

The Chinese capital has been hit hard by a Covid outbreak after its dramatic U-turn on testing and quarantine rules, but the government is urging people not to worry

Firms using a range of strategies to try to keep operations running while Covid spreads at a rapid pace through some Chinese cities

New measures on the handling of Covid-19 could be announced on Wednesday, including the possibility of people being allowed to quarantine at home, sources have said

Hong Kong residents can now receive the German-made bivalent shots to protect them against the original coronavirus plus the latest Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5

Production at two VW car plants in China has been impacted by the latest Covid wave sweeping the country, a VW spokesperson said on Monday

Nomura analysts estimate that more than one-fifth of China's total GDP is under lockdown, a figure that exceeds the size of the British economy.

Parts of Beijing and Guangzhou and other cities were in semi-lockdown on Monday in a bid to slow the minimize the spread of Covid-19 as cases rise in various areas.

While many cities have said they will scale back testing, China's Covid cases continued to rise on Tuesday, most notably in Guangzhou, where there is concern of possible lockdowns

A 'nationalisation process' has begun with state 'partners' assigned to "effectively take control" of some assets of major private tech firms such as Tencent and JD.com, scholars say

Chinese authorities have ramped up moves to contain Covid outbreaks after health officials reported 5,496 new local infections on Monday, the worst since May 2

Like Heyer, Aeonmed makes medical ventilators, which rose to global prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic