China is experiencing a rapid increase in Covid-19 cases, which has led many countries to impose rules on Chinese travelers such as presenting a negative test. The World Health Organization (WHO) has questioned the transparency of the data released by the country, saying they understate the reality experienced in China.
In December, China recorded only 23 deaths from Covid-19 after severely restricting the criteria for classifying these deaths. Now only people who die from respiratory diseases like pneumonia are counted. According to the BBC, a growing number of deaths of Chinese public figures are being made public, leading people to further question the official death toll from Covid-19.
This is the case of the opera singer Su LanlanHe died in December at the age of 40. According to “Operawire,” Chu Lanlan was a professional soprano in the Peking Opera and was involved in charitable organizations. The family said they were saddened by his “sudden departure” but did not provide details on the cause of death.
On New Year’s Day, the actor’s death was made public. Kang Jindong, 83, is best known for his role as Father Kong in the country’s longest-running television series, “In-Loss, Out-Loss,” since 2000. The cause of death was also not released, but users on social media linked it to other recent deaths of elderly people. “Please God, please treat the elderly well,” actress Hu Yanfen wrote on Chinese social network Weibo.
Screenwriter ni gen, aged 84, died recently. He became famous for his role in the 1991 film “Raise the Red Lantern”, which is widely regarded by critics as one of the best Chinese films.
Who fuming, a former journalist and retired professor at Nanjing University, died on January 2 at the age of 87. He was the principal author of the famous commentary published in 1978, which marked the beginning of the “Boluan Fansheng” period – a time of return to normalcy after the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution under Mao Tse-tung, the country’s first communist leader.
Hu Fuming, a great Chinese theorist who laid important foundations for reform and opening up with his 1978 essay “The Only Criterion for Testing Truth,” has passed away due to Covid-19. May he rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/quiKNM4SHa
– Punished Ben Garrison 2’1” IQ 25 (@Persian_Darius_) January 5, 2023
According to Chinese media accounts, 16 scientists from the country’s top science and engineering academies died between December 21 and December 26.
None of the deaths have been officially linked to Covid-19, but the situation has led to speculation online. “Did he also die of a ‘bad fever’?” Reads one of the most overrated comments on Ni’s death news. “Even if you search the entire internet, you can’t find the cause of death,” another user wrote.
Transparency of relevant Chinese data
In an interview with Chinese state television, the director of the Institute of Respiratory Diseases in Beijing acknowledged that the number of elderly cases this winter was “definitely higher” than in previous years, while highlighting that complicated cases remain a minority overall. Number of Covid-19 cases. The “People’s Daily”, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, urged citizens to work for “final victory” against Covid-19 and dismissed criticism of the “zero Covid” policy.
For other countries and the World Health Organization (WHO), Beijing’s figures do not reflect reality. On Wednesday, WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan said in Geneva that the organization did not have “complete data” on China. “We believe that current statistics published in China, based on ICU admissions, understate the true impact of disease on hospitalizations. [Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos] And, importantly, in terms of deaths,” he said.
Beijing on the other hand This Thursday, China stressed that it “always shares relevant information and data with the international community with an open and transparent attitude.”. “We expect the WHO Secretariat to maintain a scientific, objective and fair stance, and make efforts to play a positive role in the global response to the challenge of the epidemic,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a press conference.
