“We need a more targeted patriotic health campaign. Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered on Monday to “build a stronghold” against Covid-19 and “protect” lives in China as his country grappled with an outbreak following the lifting of health restrictions.
“Prevention and control of Covid-19 in China is facing a new situation and new challenges,” Xi Jinping said on Monday, quoted by state television CCTV. This is the first public comment by the Beijing leader since the sudden abandonment of most health measures.
Since 2020, China has introduced strict measures in the name of a so-called “zero Covid” policy that has protected those most at risk and those who are poorly vaccinated. On December 7, the authorities canceled most of the measures without warning amid growing discontent among the population and a significant blow to the economy. Since then, the number of cases has skyrocketed, raising fears of high mortality among the very elderly, who are particularly vulnerable.
Official report with blatant inconsistency
Several Western studies estimate that the lifting of restrictions could lead to the death of about a million people in the coming months. On Sunday, China announced that it would no longer publish statistics on Covid-19. They have been widely criticized for being completely inconsistent with the current wave of the epidemic that has swept the country.
Previously, quasi-coercive PCR tests allowed reliable tracking of the epidemic trend. But infected people now self-test at home and rarely report results to authorities, making it hard to have reliable numbers.
The world’s most populous country has recorded only six deaths from Covid since restrictions were lifted, according to an official report. According to many experts, the figure is largely underestimated. The Chinese in recent days have noticed a glaring discrepancy between official statistics and the infection of a large part of their relatives, and even their death.
Thus, the large metropolis of Canton (south), inhabited by 19 million inhabitants, announced the postponement “after January 10” of funeral ceremonies. In the capital Beijing, authorities said on Saturday there were “a large number of infected people” and called for “everything possible to improve recovery rates and reduce the death rate.”
Source: Le Parisien
I am a highly experienced and well-connected journalist, with a focus on healthcare news. I have worked for several major news outlets, and currently work as an author at 24 news recorder. My work has been featured in many prestigious publications, and I have a wide network of contacts in the healthcare industry. I am highly passionate about my work, and strive to provide accurate and timely information to my readers.
