China’s actual Covid numbers may be much higher than what’s reported: WHO

Covid numbers in China may be much more than what the official figures show, as per Mike Ryan, the emergencies director at the World Health Organization (WHO). Unprepared for the sudden cancellation of the zero-Covid lockdown, hospitals scrambled for beds and blood, pharmacies scrambled for medications, and authorities raced to create special clinics. According to experts, China could have more than a million Covid deaths in 2023.

Official Chinese statistics are no longer a trustworthy indicator. Vaccination rates have increased significantly during the past few weeks. The question of whether enough immunisations could be administered in the upcoming weeks to avert an Omicron wave's effects remained unanswered.

More than any other nation, China possesses nine locally made Covid-19 vaccinations that are licensed for use. However, these vaccines have not been updated to combat the extremely contagious Omicron form. Beijing has so far insisted that only vaccinations made domestically be used, even though these vaccines are outdated technologies and do not use mRNA technology.

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On December 21, despite China reporting no new Covid deaths in its increasing outbreak and facing criticism for its virus accounting, dozens of hearses lined up outside a crematorium as Beijing anticipated for an increase in cases.

As per Ryan, ICUs in China are reportedly seeing a relatively low number of patients, but anecdotally, they are getting busy. However, he refused to accuse China of hiding facts from the rest of the world. Instead, he thinks China “behind the curve”, The Guardian quoted Ryan as saying.

Funeral home staff claim that residents in the Chinese capital must wait days to cremate their relatives unless they pay high prices to guarantee prompt services, another sign of an increasing death toll.

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There was a spike in locals looking to cremate departed relatives over the weekend, according to employees at two different funeral homes in Beijing. They told Reuters that this caused lines and delays.

The WHO has said it is prepared to collaborate with China to enhance the nation's data collection procedures for vital events including hospitalisation and death.