China is facing its worst COVID-19 crisis since the pandemic’s initial outbreak in Wuhan. On Thursday, China logged about 25,000 new cases — with 21,000 infections reported in Shanghai alone. That’s despite a lockdown that’s confined about 26 million Shanghai residents to their homes, where some people are reporting shortages of food and medicine. Meanwhile, Beijing city authorities have introduced their strictest COVID restrictions since early 2020, after authorities reported 35 infections around China’s capital over the last week.