Coronavirus cases have risen in China since the country relaxed its draconian “zero-COVID” strategy last month, but officials are likely underestimating the extent of the outbreak, a World Health Organization official said on Wednesday. Health.
“We believe that the current figures being released in China underestimate the true impact of the disease in terms of hospital admissions, in terms of ICU admissions, particularly in terms of death,” said Mike Ryan, WHO’s director of emergencies. to journalists in Geneva. “We don’t have the complete data yet.”
Patients lie on beds and gurneys in a corridor in a hospital emergency department, amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai, China, on January 4, 2023.
(Reuters/Staff)
China has been reporting just a handful of COVID-19 deaths daily, bringing the total to 5,258 since the pandemic began.
Many international health officials believe the true numbers are much higher, and UK-based health data firm Airfinity predicted last week that around 9,000 Chinese citizens are likely to die of COVID-19 every year. day.
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A staff member walks past several body bags at a funeral home as the COVID-19 outbreaks continue in Shanghai, China on January 4, 2023.
(Reuters/Staff)
Hospitals and morgues are also reportedly overwhelmed in China. graphic videos emerged on social media this week of family members cremating bodies of relatives in the streets.
The increase has prompted several countries, including the US, Canada, Japan, Australia and South Korea, to place restrictions on Chinese travelers.
Passengers prepare to board a flight at an airport in north-central China’s Jiangxi province.
(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
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European Union officials recommended Wednesday that Chinese passengers must have a negative COVID-19 test before boarding a flight to any of the bloc’s 27 nations.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning lashed out at the restrictions this week, saying they are “unacceptable” and lack “scientific basis.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
