With few reported deaths, China’s COVID emergency response is raising doubts
Since the authorities lifted tight restrictions following mass protests, only seven people have reportedly died from the virus; yet, hospitals are full, medicines are running low, and ventilators are in short supply. Chinese authorities appear to be minimising the mortality rate for political reasons. Xi Jinping’s mistake was to focus resources on quarantine rather than hospital care.
Beijing (AsiaNews) – After the sudden easing of anti-COVID-19 restrictions in late November, following widespread protests, China faces a new pandemic emergency. Yet, the official number of dead is still very low (5,241), fuelling the usual suspicion that the regime is falsifying the data for political reasons to better exert social control.
Since Xi Jinping's zero-COVID policy was scrapped on 8 December, the government has only reported seven deaths linked to the coronavirus, this despite the amazing rise in hospitalisations, the huge demand for intensive care ventilators, the growing shortages in medical drugs, and the rise in cremations.
On Tuesday, health authorities said that only infected people who died of pneumonia or respiratory problems would be recorded as dying from COVID-19.
Nevertheless, Reuters reported that Chinese doctors claim that the number of cases and deaths is underestimated. One of the factors is that after strict restrictions were lifted, the number of people getting tested dropped significantly.
According to the latest data from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, COVID-19 could kill more than a million Chinese people in 2023.
Between now and April, the number of cases and deaths should reach a peak. Above all, there are fears of a surge in cases next month, during Lunar New Year holidays.
Analysts fear that the government is hiding for political reasons the true impact of lifting draconian restrictions against the pandemic.
Many observers, especially outside the country, have always questioned the reliability of Chinese data, above all economic data. Official figures, which are almost always good, often conceal the real situation.
In fact, in September 2021, the central government went after the provinces over their economic data, which are often falsified or inflated.
A year earlier, Chinese Premier Li ordered local leaders to "tell the truth" about the state of the economy of the areas they administer, which is the only way to meet government goals.
The same is happening now with COVID-19, and for Chinese President Xi Jinping, the picture is not very pretty.
In all likelihood, provincial administrations were underfunded, unable to buy the medical and hospital equipment needed to treat COVID-19 patients. Local government debt is already very high and most resources were devoted to quarantine facilities and mass testing.
As Nikkei Asia notes, with two de facto premiers now in charge of the central administration, outgoing Li Keqiang and his probable successor Li Qiang, managing the health emergency has become messy, and the latter is perhaps out of control.
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27/10/2023 18:06
