China Covid

2022 - 12 - 20

Post cover
Image courtesy of "The Washington Post"

China's low covid death count is being criticized as implausible (The Washington Post)

China's improbably low coronavirus death toll has become an object of ridicule and anger. Health-care authorities reported only five covid-related deaths on ...

Many families, fearing that hospitals and local authorities are unprepared, have reacted to the sudden easing of coronavirus restrictions by Officials denied a coverup and said the additional deaths had been discovered from thorough checks of funeral and prison records. That morning, he had been running a high fever and vomiting, leading the family to suspect the virus was partially to blame, Yang said in an interview. Aside from the toll on families, a spike in avoidable deaths would be an embarrassment for the Chinese Communist Party, which has justified harsh coronavirus lockdowns by citing the great value the leadership places on saving every life it can. On Tuesday, the People’s Daily newspaper, the Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece, ran an article with the headline: “I tested positive. “They stopped counting — too many have been infected and too many people died.” A simple funeral was held at a local crematorium on Monday, with many attendees still coronavirus-positive. The State Council, China’s cabinet, in early December issued updated guidance on the classification and reporting of covid-related deaths. In recent days, funeral homes in Beijing have been unusually busy, with some employees reporting that covid-related deaths are the cause, according to reports from the Financial Times and the Associated Press. A medical student who collapsed while at work was also cited by commentators as another case missing from the official figures. [ stopped reporting](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/12/14/china-covid-surge-asymptomatic-cases-deaths/?itid=lk_inline_manual_30&itid=lk_inline_manual_10) asymptomatic cases, word of mouth has become the main way many track the outbreak. It also raised the threshold for considering an individual to have covid. Of particular concern is the low vaccination rate among older populations, with just 42 percent of people 80 and over having received a booster shot.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Al Arabiya English"

How many people might die, and why, under relaxed China COVID ... (Al Arabiya English)

China's abrupt end to its zero-COVID-19 policy has raised concerns of widespread infections among a vulnerable, under-vaccinated population with little.

The group expects cases to peak in April, when deaths will have reached 322,000. The US-based Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), part of the University of Washington, in an updated model said on Friday it expects more than 1 million deaths through 2023. China could see 1.3 million to 2.1 million people die if it lifts its zero-COVID policy due to low vaccination and booster rates as well as a lack of hybrid immunity, British scientific information and analytics company Airfinity said in late November. In May, scientists in China and the United States estimated that China risks just over 1.5 million COVID-19 deaths if it drops its tough zero-COVID-19 policy without any safeguards such as ramping up vaccination and access to treatments, according to research published in Nature Medicine. Zhou Jiatong, head of the Center for Disease Control in southwestern Guangxi region, said last month in a paper published by the Shanghai Journal of Preventive Medicine that mainland China faces more than 2 million deaths if it loosened COVID-19 curbs in the same way Hong Kong did this year. More than two million

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Bloomberg"

China Confirms Change to Covid Death Definition as Doubts on ... (Bloomberg)

The country will only count people who tested positive for Covid and died of respiratory failure as official virus deaths, Wang Guiqiang, a top infectious ...

Post cover
Image courtesy of "FRANCE 24"

Concern grows over China's Covid surge as cities scramble to ... (FRANCE 24)

Cities across China scrambled to install hospital beds and build fever screening clinics on Tuesday as authorities reported five more deaths and ...

The possibility of strains that are more contagious and more pathogenic is even lower." Beijing reported five Covid-related deaths on Tuesday, following two on Monday, which were the first fatalities reported in weeks. Reuters could not establish if the deaths were due to Covid. Heart attacks or cardiovascular disease causing death of infected people will not get that classification. "But the possibility of them becoming more lethal is low. "Every new epidemic wave in another country brings the risk of new variants, and this risk is higher the bigger the outbreak, and the current wave in

Post cover
Image courtesy of "South China Morning Post"

China says only deaths from respiratory failure count in official Covid ... (South China Morning Post)

Adviser to National Health Commission says deaths among elderly people with other chronic illnesses will 'not be counted as Covid-induced'.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "South China Morning Post"

'Don't rush to indict': ex-judge calls on China to let zero-Covid ... (South China Morning Post)

Rulings that are yet to take effect should be rolled back and sentences reversed, says former criminal cases judge at the Supreme People's Court.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "NPR"

Confusion and falsehoods spread as China reverses its 'zero ... (NPR)

As China lifts its stringent zero-COVID policy, public health messaging has taken a U-turn. People are grappling with the whiplash, trying to find a way to ...

Chen says that scientists have some soul searching to do in the next couple of years. Other smaller social media accounts made videos of the report, putting "British Media" in the headlines. "It's kind of flying in the dark." An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Zhang Wenhong as the director of a Shanghai hospital. Many are vulnerable to the disease, live in places where healthcare resources are scarce, and aren't adept at finding information on social media. At various stages in the pandemic, many countries have changed course around what healthcare messages to send. Abrupt changes in public health messaging is not a new or uniquely Chinese challenge. [suggested ](http://zyyj.gxzf.gov.cn/xwdt/gxgg/t14206111.shtml)making tea out of orange peels and monk fruit - both common ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine - to prevent infection. one [wrote ](https://www.163.com/dy/article/HO13MI6F05560SZA.html)in a blog post. Zhang Wenhong, the infectious disease director of a Shanghai hospital affiliated with Fudan University, said the zero-COVID policy should be relaxed even before an outbreak in Shanghai shut the city down for weeks. [recommended ](https://video.sina.cn/finance/2022-12-11/detail-imxwiivm1986640.d.html?vt=4)the unproven method of rinsing out your mouth using iced salt water daily. After nearly three years of strict "zero-COVID" policies, in recent days Chinese officials have rolled back most of them following rare protests across the country.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "The Guardian"

China's screeching U-turn on Covid will not be an instant fix (The Guardian)

If Beijing is expecting an immediate economic boost from abandoning its tough controls it is mistaken. There will be a growth dividend from the policy shift but ...

But ultimately, relaxing Covid restrictions will release the handbrake that has been holding back activity and allow for better transmission of existing policy support.” Activity will only fully recover in the early spring. [world’s biggest exporter](https://oec.world/en/profile/country/chn) of goods, the implications are obvious. “For the economy, reopening has so far been entirely negative,” he says. Subway use in Beijing, where the increase in cases has been sharpest, is running at 20% of pre-pandemic levels. Almost every country that has moved away from lockdowns to a “we have to learn to live with Covid” approach has suffered an exit wave of rising infections, and China is following the same pattern.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "BBC News"

China Covid: Five deaths under country's new counting method (BBC News)

China has been experiencing a surge in Covid cases after restrictions were eased earlier this month.

However, less than half of people aged 80 and over have received three doses of vaccine. [struggle to cope with the latest Covid surge](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-63944861). Official figures show a relatively low number of new daily cases and deaths. Overall, China says more than 90% of its population has been fully vaccinated. This must be confirmed in a scan. This is equal to only three Covid deaths in every million in China, compared with 3,000 per million in the US and 2,400 per million in the UK.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Reuters"

U.S. feeling impact of China COVID changes, can 'power through it ... (Reuters)

The U.S. economy is "already being impacted" by China's latest COVID developments and energy shortages in Europe, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo ...

The United States would continue to use sanctions and export controls to 'get in the way' of Russia's supply chain and ability to build weapons, Adeyemo added. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is due to travel to Senegal, South Africa and Zambia in January. He said he "definitely" hoped to join Vice President Kamala Harris on a visit to Africa next year, but gave no details. 5, but said it had already begun to curtail revenues in November before it took effect. officials to worry](/world/china/world-fears-new-china-covid-wave-ponders-how-help-xi-2022-12-20/) about supply chain and other economic repercussions. economy after his trip to Europe last week, given continued momentum in job creation and economic growth, easing inflation and huge investments that would help reduce supply chain shortages in coming years.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "The Guardian"

China Covid infection surge puts end of global emergency in doubt ... (The Guardian)

Experts warn China could see a million Covid deaths in 2023 as the US offers assistance.

Last week, he told reporters in Geneva that he was “hopeful” of an end to the emergency some time in 2023. “We’re prepared to continue to support countries around the world, including China, on this and other Covid-related health support,” state department spokesperson Ned Price said. Koopmans and other WHO advisory committee members are due to make their recommendation on the alert level in late January. Projections have suggested the world’s second-largest economy could face more than a million deaths in 2023 after the abrupt change in course. “We also know that whenever the virus is spreading anywhere widely in an uncontrolled fashion, it has the potential for variants to emerge.” “It’s clear that we are in a very different phase [of the pandemic], but in my mind, that pending wave in China is a wild card.”

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Fortune"

The public health organization that forecast 1 million COVID deaths ... (Fortune)

The figure doesn't take into account other viruses like RSV and flu, which are hitting other countries especially hard this year and may also strike China, ...

A similar situation occurred in New York City in March and April of that year, when [thousands died](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/all-hospitals-are-full-houston-overwhelmed-icus-leave-covid-19-n1233430) as overwhelmed hospitals tried unsuccessfully to cope with the onslaught of COVID patients. But an added “ [tripledemic](https://fortune.com/well/2022/11/08/tripledemic-sickening-kids-across-us-united-states-hospitals-get-creative-capacity-issues-pediatrics-covid-coronavirus-covid19-flu-rsv-ilis-influenza-capacity/),” like the U.S. Leaders locked down the country for years, and when they let up on restrictions suddenly, around 80% of the population was susceptible to infection, he said. “The hospitals were diverting patients because they couldn’t take care of people,” Mokdad said. [1 million COVID deaths](https://twitter.com/AliHMokdad/status/1604873101648736257) through the end of 2023. But with the third year of the pandemic drawing to a close and incoming global surveillance data dwindling, it stopped issuing regular forecasts last week. health officials say—a winter surge compounded by the worst flu outbreak in a decade and a record-setting RSV season, in addition to high levels of other viral and bacterial infections. According to the IHME’s latest projection, China could see nearly As the world battles wave after wave of Omicron infections, most countries have relatively high levels of population immunity from past infections and vaccinations. A “triplededemic” of flu, COVID, and RSV is battering U.S. “So, yes, they could have a triple-whammy with RSV and the flu.” “We’re hearing reports that they’re seeing the same flu, that the flu came earlier,” Mokdad said.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Voice of America"

China Trying to Downplay COVID Threat, Experts Say (Voice of America)

Chinese government officials and international experts have always been at loggerheads about the COVID-19 situation in the world's most populated country.

The possibility of strains that are more contagious and more pathogenic is even lower." “The populations at greatest risk in the world are those that have avoided a lot of transmission and have gaps in vaccination. “However, the way we look at it, it’s very likely that the next few months are going to be quite challenging for China,” IHME director Christopher Murray said in a video statement in early December. The country was rocked by a series of protests in November and early December before the government relaxed the controls. But alarm bells are ringing elsewhere with several independent experts predicting a deluge of cases in China in the coming months. China has lifted most restrictions and watered down the few that remain.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "NEWS.com.au"

'Dead bodies piled up' as crisis explodes (NEWS.com.au)

For years on end, Chinese President Xi Jinping pursued an aggressive zero-Covid strategy which saw millions of residents locked down for extended periods of ...

“What happens in China doesn’t stay in China — Wuhan was our lesson three years ago. But China National Health Commission scientists estimate the R number is now 16 in China, NPR reports, indicating just how dire the current situation has become. 25+ news channels in 1 place. “Hospitals completely overwhelmed in China ever since restrictions dropped,” he posted, adding that epidemiologists estimate more than 60 per cent of China and 10 per cent of the Earth’s population is likely to be infected with the virus over the next 90 days. Stream more world news live & on demand with Flash. There are growing concerns China’s Covid crisis is secretly spiralling out of control, with an expert bracing for deaths “in the millions” in the weeks ahead.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "ABC News"

COVID-19 case numbers are exploding in China. Here's how the ... (ABC News)

COVID-19 cases have surged in China since stringent restrictions were lifted and there are concerns about the economic ramifications this could bring.

Long-term, the easing of restrictions in China should be positive for trade with Australia and supply chains, Professor Qian said. She said there was uncertainty around the impact on production and trade in China, and subsequently other economies, which will depend on how many people fall ill and the severity. "It's always going to be better than zero-COVID where they restricted the movement of people and some people can't go to work at all," she said. Professor Qian said any potential impact on the global economy would likely be short-lived, and easing restrictions would be a positive move for trade and supply chains long-term. But Professor Meijun Qian from the ANU College Of Business and Economics said it was important to remember there has been a history of tension between the US and China over trade. Spokesperson for the US Department of State Ned Price said, given the size of China's economy, the "toll of the virus is of concern to the rest of the world".

Post cover
Image courtesy of "The Diplomat"

How COVID Shattered the 'China Dream' (The Diplomat)

The China Dream and the dreams of the Chinese people are diverging, with deep repercussions for China's future.

The anger on display symbolized the deep divergence of the China Dream and the dreams of the Chinese people, with deep repercussions for China’s future. In returning full circle to the heart of China, COVID-19 is shaking China and the rest of the world awake. According to Xi, “The Chinese Dream, a dream about peace, development, cooperation and win-win, is closely linked with the beautiful dreams of people in countries around the world.” The CCP conceived and codified the China Dream at the 19th Party Congress in 2017, at the conclusion of Xi’s first term. companies [report](https://www.uschina.org/sites/default/files/uscbc_member_survey_2022.pdf) enduring impacts on business from U.S.-China tensions.” Some companies are now beginning to wake up from the Chinese Dream; others are still sleepwalking. [cited](https://www.uschina.org/sites/default/files/uscbc_member_survey_2022.pdf) China’s “COVID control measures that further complicate the geopolitical risks of doing business in China” as the top impact on their business and investment plans. The 20th Party Congress in October 2022 enshrined Xi Jinping’s Mao-esque cult-of-personality leadership with a third term to consolidate full control over national security and accelerate China’s self-reliance for economic security. The protests raised fundamental questions: Has the China Dream turned into a “Chinese nightmare”? The zero-COVID protests and the pandemic’s unfolding resurgence have magnified the collision of both dreams. When COVID-19 rocked the world in 2020, the “China Dream” became a global nightmare. That discontent represented a rude awakening from the China Dream extolled by Chinese leaders. The throes of discontent had unleashed another dream: Contrary to the official China Dream, China’s middle class yearns for freedom and truth.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "South Coast Register"

China braces for severe COVID case surge (South Coast Register)

Beijing is facing a surge in severe COVID-19 cases amid concerns over the potential toll and knock-on effects...

Several leading scientists and World Health Organization advisors told Reuters it might be too early to declare the end of the global COVID pandemic emergency phase because of a potentially devastating wave to come in China. Wang expects the COVID wave to peak in late January, with life likely to return to normal by the end of February or early March. Beijing is facing a surge in severe COVID-19 cases amid concerns over the potential toll and knock-on effects for the world economy after the surprise ditching of China's tough virus policies.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "CNN"

China wants Covid patients to go to work. The public isn't so sure (CNN)

Just weeks ago, catching Covid in China meant being taken to government quarantine for an indeterminate stay and your entire residential building being ...

It’s outrageous,” she said, adding that though she understood the need for business to continue, “maybe because I am a worker, I empathize most with the workers.” and many people have elderly relatives and children at home.” Complicating matters is the fact that many restrictions and rules around returning to work diverge at the local level. The paper, which has yet to undergo peer review, added that the surge in infections would “likely overload many local health systems across the country.” “Asymptomatic and mildly ill patients can still be contagious … Similar drops were reported in other major cities, including Shanghai and Guangzhou. “Do you know what’s the first thing the company sent him? They also signaled that policymakers would relax their grip on the country’s private sector — a departure from the regulatory crackdown that in recent years has thrown China’s biggest private companies into chaos. But the abrupt U-turn was seemingly carried out with little advance warning or preparation, causing a sense of whiplash and confusion among many. [record](https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/19/economy/china-youth-jobs-crisis-xi-jinping-intl-hnk-mic/index.html) youth unemployment, [disruptions to supply chains](https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/25/tech/apple-foxconn-iphone-supply-china-covid-intl-hnk/index.html) and a cratering of the [real estate sector](https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/20/economy/china-record-lpr-cut-property-market-intl-hnk/index.html) that accounts for about 30% of China’s GDP. [nearly a million deaths,](https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/19/china/china-covid-study-one-million-deaths-intl-hnk-mic/index.html) according to a CNN calculation based on a study released last week by professors at the University of Hong Kong. [said in a statement ](https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/19/business/china-private-sector-covid-hit-economy-intl-hnk/index.html)that stabilizing economic growth was the top priority for 2023.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Bloomberg"

Chinese Cities, Factories Tell People With Covid to Go Back to Work (Bloomberg)

Chinese workers with mild Covid are being told to go back to work in some cities, evidence of a complete reversal in the way the virus is being viewed as ...

[Chongqing](https://weibo.com/1988438334/MkjYJmpkc) were told to continue working if they were asymptomatic or experiencing mild Covid symptoms, authorities said at the weekend. Officials in Zhejiang, a manufacturing hub on China’s east coast, and a city in the nearby province of Anhui, also green-lit Covid-positive people working this week, according to local media [reports](https://www.nbd.com.cn/articles/2022-12-19/2600723.html). Government workers in the western metropolis of

Post cover
Image courtesy of "The Australian Financial Review"

Hearses queue in Beijing, even as China reports no new COVID ... (The Australian Financial Review)

At a crematorium in Beijing's Tongzhou district on Wednesday, a witness saw a queue of around 40 hearses waiting to enter, while the parking lot was full.

“I do not think this is a threat to the world,” he said. At a crematorium in Beijing’s Tongzhou district on Wednesday, a Reuters witness saw a queue of around 40 hearses waiting to enter, while the parking lot was full. Beijing [potential for the virus to mutate](https://www.afr.com/world/asia/china-races-to-install-hospital-beds-as-surge-sparks-concern-abroad-20221220-p5c7vo), saying the possibility of new strains that are more pathogenic is low. At a crematorium in Beijing’s Tongzhou district on Wednesday, a witness saw a queue of around 40 hearses waiting to enter, while the parking lot was full. Dozens of hearses queued outside a Beijing crematorium on Wednesday, even as China reported no new COVID-19 deaths in its growing outbreak, sparking criticism of its virus accounting as the capital braces for a surge of severe cases.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "TechCrunch"

As expats fled China's zero-COVID, this developer built a sci-fi game ... (TechCrunch)

So when NetEase, the second-largest gaming company in China, said it had an expats-led studio working on a game out of Shanghai for the last three years, I was ...

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Outlook India"

Covid-19 Outbreak: New Deaths Reported In Beijing As China ... (Outlook India)

Chinese health authorities on Monday announced two additional Covid-19 deaths, both in the capital Beijing, that were the first reported in weeks and come ...

Medical workers tend to residents at a gymnasium converted into a fever clinic in Beijing. A medical worker in protective gear carries yellow bags of medical waste from a fever clinic in Beijing. Medical workers in protective gear look out from the fever clinic at a hospital in Beijing.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Reuters"

Hearses queue at Beijing crematorium, even as China reports no ... (Reuters)

Dozens of hearses queued outside a Beijing crematorium on Wednesday, even as China reported no new COVID-19 deaths in its growing outbreak.

"I do not think that this is a threat to the world," he said. Staff wore hazmat suits and smoke rose from five of the 15 furnaces. Experts predict China could face more than a million COVID deaths next year. [too early](/world/china/potential-china-wave-is-wild-card-ending-covid-emergency-who-advisors-2022-12-20/) to declare the end of the global pandemic emergency. Register for free to Reuters and know the full story BEIJING, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Dozens of hearses queued outside a Beijing crematorium on Wednesday, even as China reported no new COVID-19 deaths in its growing outbreak, sparking criticism of its virus accounting as the capital braces for a surge of cases.

Explore the last week