Even as China opens up amidst a surge in Covid cases in the country, with no clear data coming out, the country is likely registering 9,000 deaths a day, UK-based health experts estimate. This is double what it had estimated last week. Meanwhile, the US is considering sampling wastewater taken from international aircraft to track any emerging new Covid-19 variants.
Ever since China loosened restrictions, the country is registering a massive increase in cases. Cumulative deaths in China since December 1 likely reached 100,000, while infections totaled 18.6 million, UK-based health data firm Airfinity said in a statement on Thursday.
Experts claimed that infections will peak on January 13
Airfinity further estimates that China’s Covid infections will reach their first peak on January 13 when 3.7 million cases will be registered in a day.
The body expects the daily death toll to peak on January 23 with approximately 25,000 cases per day, bringing the total number of deaths to 584,000 since December. All of these estimations contradict what China has been claiming. Beijing has only reported several thousands of cases each day, with only ten deaths reported since December 7.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, has asked China to provide more precise information about the country’s pandemic situation.
“It is understandable that countries around the world are acting in ways that they believe may protect their populations in the absence of comprehensive information from China,” Tedros wrote.
China maintains that the data on Covid-19 deaths it releases has always been transparent
Meanwhile, China maintains that the data on Covid-19 deaths it releases has always been transparent. Beijing released all virus information “in the spirit of openness,” a top health official said at a State Council press conference late Thursday, according to Xinhua.
“China has always been publishing information on Covid-19 deaths and severe cases in the spirit of openness and transparency,” said Jiao Yahui from the National Health Commission (NHC) told reporters on Thursday.
People who died of respiratory failure caused by the virus after testing positive with a nucleic acid test, according to Jiao, are the only deaths attributed to Covid-19, in contrast to other countries, which include all deaths within 28 days of positive tests.
“China has always been committed to the scientific criteria for judging Covid-19 deaths, from beginning to end, which is in line with the international criteria,” Jiao said.
In comparison to other countries, the country’s official stats are extremely small. According to reports, hospitals are overcrowded, and the situation is terrible.