Staff Reports
There have been only a few deaths reported in China related to COVID-19 since the country lifted its lockdown in November. However, according to the New York Times, there have been mass funerals.
According to the government, seven people died due to COVID-19 since December 7, but evidence from social media and reports indicated that the actual number is much higher. The New York Times reported that many hospitals were overwhelmed by the influx of patients, and they were not informed about the changes in the government's policy.
A hospital in Shanghai warned that about half of its 25 million residents could contract the virus at some point. The New York Times noted that the city could face a "tragic battle" in the coming weeks.
"The hospital posted a statement on its WeChat account, which has since been deleted, where it stated that all of its staff members and patients would be infected. It also warned that the entire city would fall."
The foreign ministry of China confirmed on Monday that the country's health ministry had stopped publishing death figures related to the COVID-19 outbreak. As of December 23, the last recorded figure was 4,128 new cases.
According to the World Health Organization, China has reported 31,585 COVID-19 deaths since January 2020. This is equivalent to about 0.3% of the country's total cases. In the U.S., the WHO recorded over a million deaths during the pandemic.
In China – 37 million people were infected in one day with Covid 19 or one of its variants. China is so far into this, they will never get out. Apparently 250 million are quarantined at present. pic.twitter.com/5k0w03Q2Ae
— Rodney Howard-Browne (@rhowardbrowne) December 25, 2022
It's widely believed that the government is hiding the true extent of the COVID-19 outbreak in China. Bloomberg reported on Friday that the country could have had as many as 37 million infected people on one day. The previous record for the country was 4 million.
According to Bloomberg, as many as 247 million people, or 18% of the country's population, were infected with the virus by December 20. The news agency was citing the minutes from a meeting and confirmed information from individuals.
CNN also reported that China could potentially experience a death toll of around a million before the surge of infections subsides.
中国 #上海 浦东区海曲雅苑，新区拱北路398弄，家属露天焚烧死者尸体！#China #COVID19 是不是因为殡仪馆火葬场都不接待死者遗体了？
— 墨土 Zx۵ (@WxyqZx) December 24, 2022
In December, the national authorities had removed the powers of local officials to close down areas affected by the outbreak. They also lifted some of the testing requirements.
On Tuesday, China lifted its restrictions on international travel. According to Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, the country will no longer require individuals to submit to COVID-19 testing before entering the country.
The preceding is a summary of an article that originally appeared on WND.
