China did not report any new deaths from Covid-19 on Wednesday after changing its method of counting cases, even though the country is experiencing an unprecedented epidemic resurgence.
Since 2020, China has imposed strict sanitary restrictions under its so-called zero-covid policy to protect the most vulnerable and unvaccinated people.
However, the government ended most of those restrictions unannounced in early December due to growing public anger and the significant economic impact. The number of infections has exploded since then, raising fears of a high mortality rate among the elderly, who are very vulnerable.
Authorities reported on Tuesday that only people who died directly from respiratory problems related to Covid-19 are included in the statistics. According to the authorities, this “scientific” method leads to lower figures.
“After an infection with the omikron variant, underlying diseases are the main cause of death,” Wan Guiqiang, a Beijing city health official, defended the method on Tuesday. “Only a small number die directly from respiratory problems caused by Covid-19.”
Nevertheless, based on testimonies, the French news agency AFP concluded that crematoriums and hospitals are groaning under pressure. However, according to official figures, only seven patients have died from corona since restrictions were lifted in early December.
The United States said on Tuesday that it is willing to supply corona vaccines to China. “It is in the interest of the international community that we can jointly help China contain the outbreak,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.