China's Covid death data hides true toll: Report
2 years, 2 months ago

China's Covid death data hides true toll: Report

India TV News  

China Covid update: The nearly 60,000 Covid-related deaths China reported for the first five weeks of its current outbreak, the largest the world has ever seen, may underestimate the true toll by hundreds of thousands of fatalities, experts were quoted as saying in a media report. China's abrupt pivot from Covid Zero in early December unleashed a surge of omicron infections and led to 59,938 virus-related deaths in the nation's hospitals through January 12, Bloomberg news agency reported, citing the figures disclosed by the National Health Commission. While the number swamps the few dozen deaths previously recorded in the official tally - which drew widespread criticism both at home and abroad, including from the World Health Organization - experts say it's still likely to be an underestimate given the enormous scale of the outbreak and the mortality rates seen at the height of omicron waves in other countries that initially pursued a Covid Zero strategy, the news agency reported. "These figures would suggest that China is having a very mild wave, with very few deaths per case," Louise Blair, head of vaccines and epidemiology at the London-based predictive health analytics firm Airfinity, was quoted by the news agency as saying.

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History of this topic

China marks muted 5th anniversary of first Covid death
2 months, 2 weeks ago

China marks muted 5th anniversary of first Covid death

The Hindu  

The fifth anniversary of the first known death from Covid-19 passed seemingly unnoticed in China on Saturday, with no official remembrances in a country where the pandemic is a taboo subject. There was also little online commemoration in Hong Kong, where Beijing largely snuffed out opposition voices when it imposed a sweeping national security law on the semi-autonomous city in …

The states where HMPV virus that's ravaging China is surging
2 months, 3 weeks ago

The states where HMPV virus that's ravaging China is surging

Daily Mail  

The virus fueling pandemic fears in China is surging in parts of the US Midwest, official data shows. CDC data shows 5.4 percent of tests conducted in the region during the last week of December came back positive for HMPV, compared to 1.9 in the rest of America. HMPV, which some doctors describe as 'the most important virus you've never …

Are hospitals in China being overwhelmed by HMPV patients? Should India worry?
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Are hospitals in China being overwhelmed by HMPV patients? Should India worry?

Firstpost  

There are reports that the human metapneumovirus, which causes flu-like symptoms, has left hospitals and emergency rooms overwhelmed. Hospitals in China Overwhelmed as Severe "Flu" Outbreak, Including Influenza A and HMPV, Resembling 2020 COVID Surge. pic.twitter.com/GWw9u6JxsX — Boar News December 29, 2024 ⚠️ BREAKING: Hospitals in China 🇨🇳 Overwhelmed as Severe "Flu" Outbreak, Including Influenza A and HMPV, Resembling 2020 …

China downplays reports of huge HMPV flu outbreak, assures travel across country is safe
2 months, 4 weeks ago

China downplays reports of huge HMPV flu outbreak, assures travel across country is safe

India TV News  

China on Friday played down reports of a massive outbreak of flu in the country overwhelming hospitals, saying that cases of the respiratory diseases which occur during the winter were less severe this year compared to last year. "Respiratory infections tend to peak during the winter season in the northern hemisphere," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told the media …

Is there an epidemic brewing in China?
2 months, 4 weeks ago

Is there an epidemic brewing in China?

India Today  

Social media platforms have been inundated with alarming claims about a new epidemic spreading across China. Users are sharing videos showing overcrowded hospitals and suggesting the rapid spread of multiple respiratory viruses, including Influenza A, HMPV, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and COVID-19. However, there is currently no credible evidence to support these claims, and official confirmation from health authorities remains absent. The …

The unsettled debate about Covid origins
2 months, 4 weeks ago

The unsettled debate about Covid origins

Hindustan Times  

On December 31, 2019, a notice about an unusual pneumonia cluster in Wuhan, China made its way to the WHO’s disease surveillance system. Doctors who raised early alarms found their warnings quietened by institutional inertia and political opacity and critical questions about the virus’s origins – whether from Huanan Market or a laboratory incident – were buried under China’s obstructionism. …

‘Made in Wuhan, shipped by Beijing’: A story of how Communist Party of China gave world Covid-19 pandemic
2 months, 4 weeks ago

‘Made in Wuhan, shipped by Beijing’: A story of how Communist Party of China gave world Covid-19 pandemic

Firstpost  

If it were not for the actions of the Chinese regime, the Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan would have never turned into a global pandemic that killed millions, experts are increasingly reaching this conclusion. Two days before Shi’s paper, a separate team of Chinese scientists had reported in another paper that a virus found in Yunnan, BtCoV/4991, had a 98.7 per …

Covid origin: China defends its ‘global traceability research’ stance after WHO seeks more access
2 months, 4 weeks ago

Covid origin: China defends its ‘global traceability research’ stance after WHO seeks more access

Firstpost  

China claims that it has been the only country that organised experts to share traceability progress, data and research results of COVID-19 with the World Health Organization on many occasions Security personnel keep watch outside the Wuhan Institute of Virology during the visit by the World Health Organization team tasked with investigating the origins of the coronavirus disease, in Wuhan, …

‘Moral imperative’: WHO presses China to share COVID origins data
3 months ago

‘Moral imperative’: WHO presses China to share COVID origins data

Al Jazeera  

Beijing insists it has shared information on the coronavirus ‘without holding anything back’. “Without transparency, sharing, and cooperation among countries, the world cannot adequately prevent and prepare for future epidemics and pandemics.” The WHO recounted how on December 31, 2019, its country office in China picked up a media statement from health authorities in the central city of Wuhan concerning …

WHO urges China to share Covid origins data, five years on from pandemic’s emergence
3 months ago

WHO urges China to share Covid origins data, five years on from pandemic’s emergence

CNN  

Hong Kong CNN — The World Health Organization has urged China to share data to help understand the origins of Covid-19, five years on from the start of the pandemic in the Chinese city of Wuhan. “Without transparency, sharing, and cooperation among countries, the world cannot adequately prevent and prepare for future epidemics and pandemics.” China’s Foreign Ministry defended the …

Five years on, WHO urges China to share Covid origins data
3 months ago

Five years on, WHO urges China to share Covid origins data

Firstpost  

The World Health Organization on Monday implored China to share data and access to help understand how Covid-19 began, five years on from the start of the pandemic that upended the planet The World Health Organisation logo is seen near its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Reuters File The World Health Organization on Monday implored China to share data and access …

COVID-19 infections not problematic, experts say
7 months, 2 weeks ago

COVID-19 infections not problematic, experts say

China Daily  

The number of people in China being infected with COVID-19 is fluctuating reasonably and won't be a burden on medical resources or the public, experts said. However, the National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases said the percentage of people catching flu and testing positive for COVID-19 rose from 8.9 percent in early July to 18.7 percent late last month. "COVID-19 …

New research reveals Covid is still 35 percent deadlier than the flu
10 months, 2 weeks ago

New research reveals Covid is still 35 percent deadlier than the flu

Daily Mail  

Despite the belief that Covid is no longer a serious virus, the disease is still deadlier than the flu, new research has shown. Patients hospitalized for Covid in the last year were more 35 percent likely to die and compared with those in hospital for seasonal influenza, a study by doctors at the VA St Louis Health Care System in …

China stands alone in its attitude towards the pandemic
1 year, 1 month ago

China stands alone in its attitude towards the pandemic

Hindustan Times  

The omicron variant of COVID-19 poses enormous challenges for governments. In America, cases are at three times their previous peak in January 2021, hospitals are as busy as they have ever been and deaths have risen by 40% in two weeks to 1,800 per day. Covid In China: Security guards wearing personal protective equipment amid the Covid-19 pandemic sit at …

China’s Population Decline Accelerated Last Year
1 year, 2 months ago

China’s Population Decline Accelerated Last Year

Live Mint  

China’s population decline accelerated last year, worsening a demographic gloom that has taken on increasing urgency for Beijing. China ended 2023 with 1.410 billion people, the National Bureau of Statistics said Wednesday, down from 1.412 billion in 2022, when it hit a historic turning point: the first year the population shrank since starvation years in the early 1960s. Another possible …

Nearly 10,000 COVID deaths reported globally last month, fueled by holiday gatherings and new variant
1 year, 2 months ago

Nearly 10,000 COVID deaths reported globally last month, fueled by holiday gatherings and new variant

LA Times  

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, speaks at a news conference in Geneva last year. The head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday that holiday gatherings and the spread of the most prominent coronavirus variant globally led to increased transmission of COVID-19 last month. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said nearly 10,000 deaths were reported in December, …

Nearly 10,000 died from COVID-19 last month, fueled by holiday gatherings and new variant, WHO says
1 year, 2 months ago

Nearly 10,000 died from COVID-19 last month, fueled by holiday gatherings and new variant, WHO says

Associated Press  

GENEVA — The head of the U.N. health agency said Wednesday holiday gatherings and the spread of the most prominent variant globally led to increased transmission of COVID-19 last month. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said nearly 10,000 deaths were reported in December, while hospital admissions during the month jumped 42% in nearly 50 countries — mostly in Europe and the Americas …

China tries to ‘bury the memory’ and trauma of zero-COVID era
1 year, 3 months ago

China tries to ‘bury the memory’ and trauma of zero-COVID era

Al Jazeera  

A year after Beijing abandoned the policy’s strict lockdowns and endless testing, its failures remain unaddressed. “Doctors and nurses were rushing around everywhere between long lines of patients waiting their turn, and people were even sitting on the floor and against the walls,” Ma, who is 36 and works as a sales representative in China’s northeastern Shandong province, told Al …

Scientists see risk of lost opportunity for long COVID research in China
1 year, 3 months ago

Scientists see risk of lost opportunity for long COVID research in China

The Hindu  

With more than a full year past since China eased restrictions and let COVID-19 sweep its households, scientists are worried a unique opportunity may be slipping away to study long COVID from possibly hundreds of millions of infections in that country. China's rare circumstances - relying on home-grown vaccines and mostly avoiding COVID until late in the pandemic - could, …

COVID is still killing 1,000 Americans per week while hospitalizations rise, CDC reports
1 year, 3 months ago

COVID is still killing 1,000 Americans per week while hospitalizations rise, CDC reports

Salon  

Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention clearly indicates the COVID-19 pandemic is not done with us, as almost all metrics related to the SARS-CoV-2 virus have been steadily rising for weeks. Deaths, which typically lag behind these statistics anyway, have stayed unchanged over the past week, but have still averaged over 1,000 deaths weekly for the …

China's respiratory illness surge not as high as pre-pandemic, says WHO official
1 year, 4 months ago

China's respiratory illness surge not as high as pre-pandemic, says WHO official

Firstpost  

According to Maria Van Kerkhove, acting director of the WHO’s department of epidemic and pandemic preparation and prevention, the increase seems to be caused by an increase in the number of children catching diseases that they have avoided for the past two years due to COVID limitations A World Health Organisation official has said that although there has been an …

‘Not by novel virus’: What China said on ‘mysterious pneumonia’
1 year, 4 months ago

‘Not by novel virus’: What China said on ‘mysterious pneumonia’

Hindustan Times  

A pneumonia outbreak in China has alerted the world including the World Health Organization which sought more information about the situation from the country. Medical staff in protective suits treat a patient with pneumonia On Sunday, China's health ministry asked local authorities to increase the number of fever clinics amid the latest crisis. "Efforts should be made to increase the …

China says a surge in respiratory illnesses is caused by flu and other known pathogens
1 year, 4 months ago

China says a surge in respiratory illnesses is caused by flu and other known pathogens

Associated Press  

BEIJING — A surge in respiratory illnesses across China that has drawn the attention of the World Health Organization is caused by the flu and other known pathogens and not by a novel virus, the country’s health ministry said Sunday. Recent clusters of respiratory infections are caused by an overlap of common viruses such as the influenza virus, rhinoviruses, the …

Chinese hospitals ‘overwhelmed with sick children’ after surge in respiratory illness
1 year, 4 months ago

Chinese hospitals ‘overwhelmed with sick children’ after surge in respiratory illness

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy China insists it has not …

No ‘unusual’ virus behind rising Pneumonia cases China has clarified, reveals WHO
1 year, 4 months ago

No ‘unusual’ virus behind rising Pneumonia cases China has clarified, reveals WHO

Firstpost  

Since mid-October 2023, the World Health Organization has been monitoring data from Chinese surveillance systems showing an increase in respiratory illness in children in northern China China has reiterated that no unusual or new pathogens have been detected in the upsurge in child respiratory illnesses in the north, the WHO said on Thursday after putting pressure on Beijing for detailed …

China's pneumonia scare: Transparency please
1 year, 4 months ago

China's pneumonia scare: Transparency please

Live Mint  

China, where covid broke out in November 2019, is in the spotlight again. The World Health Organization has asked the country for details on an increase in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children. In a recent statement, the WHO noted an increase in influenza-like ailments compared to the same autumn of the past three years in China’s …

Spike in illnesses isn’t a new pathogen, China reassures WHO
1 year, 4 months ago

Spike in illnesses isn’t a new pathogen, China reassures WHO

Salon  

An outbreak of respiratory illnesses in China has sparked alarm, but the sudden rise in sickness is not related to a new virus, according to Chinese health authorities. So far, the data suggests that there’s nothing out of the ordinary, but both the WHO and China have been criticized in the past for not being entirely transparent about the COVID-19 …

China says 'no unusual pathogen detected' after WHO requests more information on pneumonia outbreak
1 year, 4 months ago

China says 'no unusual pathogen detected' after WHO requests more information on pneumonia outbreak

India TV News  

China says 'no unusual pathogen detected' after WHO requests more information on pneumonia outbreak The World Health Organisation said that it has been monitoring data from the Chinese surveillance system that showed a worrying increase in respiratory illnesses among children in northern China. The World Health Organisation on Thursday officially requested China for more information on a potential rise in …

On China pneumonia outbreak, scientists caution to not press ‘pandemic panic button’
1 year, 4 months ago

On China pneumonia outbreak, scientists caution to not press ‘pandemic panic button’

Hindustan Times  

Leading scientists urged caution over fears of another pandemic on Thursday after the World Health Organization requested more information from China on a rise of respiratory illnesses and pneumonia clusters among children. The standard wording of the alert echoed the first-ever notice about what would become COVID-19, sent on Dec. 30 2019: "Undiagnosed pneumonia - China." "I am not going …

WHO asks China for more data on respiratory illnesses outbreak
1 year, 4 months ago

WHO asks China for more data on respiratory illnesses outbreak

The Hindu  

The World Health Organization has asked China for more data on respiratory illnesses spreading in the north of the country, but Beijing offered no public comment on Thursday. "WHO has made an official request to China for detailed information on an increase in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children," the UN health body said in a statement …

What is the mysterious pneumonia outbreak in China?
1 year, 4 months ago

What is the mysterious pneumonia outbreak in China?

Al Jazeera  

The WHO has asked China for more information on the undiagnosed respiratory illness that has spiked since October 2023. As China experiences its first winter without strict COVID-19 restrictions since the outbreak of the pandemic three years ago, a wave of respiratory illnesses is sweeping across the country. On Wednesday, the WHO asked China to release information on the recent …

Is COVID making a return to China this winter?
1 year, 4 months ago

Is COVID making a return to China this winter?

Firstpost  

China’s leading respiratory illness expert Zhong Nanshan has warned of a minor COVID-19 surge in the winter and urged the elderly and vulnerable populations to get vaccinated as soon as possible Concerned about an increase of COVID-19 infections in the current winter season, Chinese experts have issued an alert and advised vaccination for vulnerable and old groups. The Chinese Centre …

China on ALERT over likely COVID-19 relapse ahead of winter
1 year, 4 months ago

China on ALERT over likely COVID-19 relapse ahead of winter

India TV News  

COVID-19 alert: Ahead of the winter season, an alert has been sounded across China about the relapse of COVID-19 infections and experts have asked elderly and vulnerable populations to get vaccinated. The Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention showed that a total of 209 new severe COVID-19 cases and 24 deaths caused by COVID-19 were reported across the country …

China’s chief epidemiologist who helped drive the anti-COVID fight dies at age 60
1 year, 5 months ago

China’s chief epidemiologist who helped drive the anti-COVID fight dies at age 60

Associated Press  

BANGKOK — Wu Zunyou, an epidemiologist who helped drive the country’s strict zero-COVID measures in China that suspended access to cities and confined millions to their homes, died on Friday. An announcement from China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention about Wu’s death gave no cause, but said that “rescue measures failed.” Wu’s health had been poor. Yet, as China …

China removes COVID-19 testing for travellers in apparent bid to revive deteriorating economy
1 year, 7 months ago

China removes COVID-19 testing for travellers in apparent bid to revive deteriorating economy

India TV News  

In a milestone towards ending COVID-19 restrictions since 2020, incoming travellers to China will no longer need a negative test from Wednesday. China's zero-COVID policy Under the 'zero COVID' policy, China introduced draconian measures that prevented most Chinese citizens from traveling abroad, limited face-to-face diplomatic exchanges and sharply reduced the number of foreigners in China for work and study. Although …

China's Zhejiang provincial government deletes Covid-19 mortality data
1 year, 8 months ago

China's Zhejiang provincial government deletes Covid-19 mortality data

Op India  

China has reportedly deleted the mortality data of one of its most populated provinces, which included the Covid-19 death toll too. The data shed light on Zhejiang’s heavy death toll from Beijing’s relaxation of Covid-19 controls at the end of 2022. The World Health Organisation in January this year said that China’s Covid-19 data fails to provide an accurate picture …

China Omits Cremation Data to Hide True Pandemic Death Toll following Lifting of Covid Zero
1 year, 9 months ago

China Omits Cremation Data to Hide True Pandemic Death Toll following Lifting of Covid Zero

News 18  

A Chinese quarterly report on marriage and social welfare for the fourth quarter of 2022 dropped the section highlighting the number of cremations held last winter, indicating that it withheld a key indicator of the pandemic death toll when China faced its largest wave of Covid-19 cases. If the data were released, the quarterly or year-on-year comparison could be used …

Large-scale COVID reemergence 'unlikely' despite uptick in cases
1 year, 10 months ago

Large-scale COVID reemergence 'unlikely' despite uptick in cases

China Daily  

China Daily| Updated :2023-05-19 The risk of a new large-scale COVID-19 outbreak in China in the short term is minimal, despite a recent uptick in new infections, according to health experts. Wang Liping, a researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said during a group interview that the recent increase in new cases is unlikely to overwhelm …

Three years, 1.1 million deaths: COVID emergency ending in US
1 year, 10 months ago

Three years, 1.1 million deaths: COVID emergency ending in US

Al Jazeera  

As US public health emergency declaration comes to an end, Al Jazeera looks at the pandemic’s heavy toll on the country. More than 1.1 million COVID-19 deaths were recorded in the US since the emergency declaration was first issued in January 2020 – more than any other country in absolute numbers. 1.1 million deaths The United States has recorded more …

We need China’s cooperation to understand covid: former WHO chief scientist
1 year, 10 months ago

We need China’s cooperation to understand covid: former WHO chief scientist

Live Mint  

Cooperation from China, including access to sites, data, blood samples, and animal farms in the country, is required to determine the origin of the covid-19 virus, according to former World Health Organization chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan. Swaminathan emphasized the need to address long covid symptoms, particularly among those with high-risk conditions such as hypertension. During every covid wave, when people …

China to remain alert even as WHO declares COVID-19 global emergency over
1 year, 10 months ago

China to remain alert even as WHO declares COVID-19 global emergency over

Firstpost  

A top Chinese health official said that despite the World Health Organisation ending the worldwide emergency designation for COVID-19, the virus is still dangerous and China will continue to monitor it while boosting vaccination rates among high-risk groups. According to Liang Wannian, head of China’s COVID-19 response expert group under the National Health Commission, the warning status being lifted by …

China records first H3N8 bird flu death I Should India need to worry?
1 year, 11 months ago

China records first H3N8 bird flu death I Should India need to worry?

India TV News  

China records first H3N8 bird flu death I Should India need to worry? Bird flu: China has registered its first human death due to H3N8 bird flu, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday. As of now, there is no risk of bird flu in India but the experts suggest the best way for people to stay safe from the …

'Without full access to information that China has, you cannot say...', says WHO chief on COVID origin
1 year, 11 months ago

'Without full access to information that China has, you cannot say...', says WHO chief on COVID origin

India TV News  

'Without full access to information that China has, you cannot say. ', says WHO chief on COVID origin WHO chief on COVID origin: "Without full access to the information that China has, you cannot say this or that," said Tedros Ghebreyesus in response to a question about the origin of the virus. WHO chief on origin of COVID-19 : The …

Ignoring experts, China’s sudden zero-COVID exit cost lives
2 years ago

Ignoring experts, China’s sudden zero-COVID exit cost lives

Associated Press  

BEIJING — When China suddenly scrapped onerous zero-COVID measures in December, the country wasn’t ready for a massive onslaught of cases, with hospitals turning away ambulances and crematoriums burning bodies around the clock. Chinese state media claimed the decision to open up was based on “scientific analysis and shrewd calculation,” and “by no means impulsive.” But in reality, China’s ruling …

Ignoring experts, China’s sudden zero-COVID exit cost lives
2 years ago

Ignoring experts, China’s sudden zero-COVID exit cost lives

Associated Press  

BEIJING — When China suddenly scrapped onerous zero-COVID measures in December, the country wasn’t ready for a massive onslaught of cases. “It wasn’t a sound public health decision at all,” said a China CDC official, declining to be named to speak candidly on a sensitive matter. At a mid-April internal panel discussion recently made public by the Beijing-based Center for …

DC Edit | Covid isn't over, be cautious
2 years ago

DC Edit | Covid isn't over, be cautious

Deccan Chronicle  

After lying low for quite some time, the Covid-19 virus has started rearing its head again in the country. The daily caseload which came down to two digits towards the end of the last year has of late been crossing 1,000; as per the health ministry data, India logged 1,300 new cases, the highest in 140 days, on Thursday while …

Beijing saw more deaths than births in 2022, fresh data reveals
2 years ago

Beijing saw more deaths than births in 2022, fresh data reveals

Firstpost  

The decline, according to demographers, was consistent with national patterns and illustrated the economic and social factors that are driving China’s declining birthrate Beijing: Fresh demographic data released by the Chinese government has revealed that the population of the Chinese capital city has decreased for the first time in nearly 20 years. The Chinese city, which is home to over …

China’s rushed exit from zero-Covid may have cost hundreds of thousands of lives
2 years ago

China’s rushed exit from zero-Covid may have cost hundreds of thousands of lives

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “It wasn’t a sound public health decision at all,” …

Ignoring experts, China’s sudden zero-COVID exit cost lives
2 years ago

Ignoring experts, China’s sudden zero-COVID exit cost lives

LA Times  

An elderly patient uses a ventilator in the hallway of the emergency ward in Beijing in January. Chinese state media claimed the decision to open up was based on “scientific analysis and shrewd calculation,” and “by no means impulsive.” But in reality, China’s ruling Communist Party ignored repeated efforts by top medical experts to kick-start exit plans until it was …

WHO accuses China of withholding information on origin of COVID-19
2 years ago

WHO accuses China of withholding information on origin of COVID-19

The Hindu  

The World Health Organisation has accused China of withholding information and data that may throw light on the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, and has asked why such information was not shared three years ago. GISAID is a global science initiative and primary source established in 2008 that provides open access to genomic data of influenza viruses and the coronavirus …

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