More Severe COVID-19 Wave to Hit China: Study

NTD Newsroom
By NTD Newsroom
January 25, 2023China in Focus
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COVID-19 has already ripped through much of China. But how big will the current virus wave get?

Beijing said on Jan. 25 that infections have peaked and are starting to fall, with a daily death peak of over 4,000 on Jan. 4. Meanwhile, UK-based health data firm Airfinity added 11,000 deaths a day to its earlier estimates, meaning the new death peak will reach 36,000 on Thursday.

Airfinity has also changed its prediction about the extent of China’s COVID-19 outbreak. It now anticipates “one larger and more severe wave,” compared to earlier expectations of two smaller, successive waves. A bigger wave will put more strain on China’s healthcare system, which could lead to higher fatalities.

The change comes as people across China are traveling for the Lunar New Year and spreading the virus faster in the country’s vast rural areas.

Authorities reported an over 70 percent drop in COVID-19 deaths. But new evidence suggests that China’s rural regions are experiencing large death rates.

According to a BBC report, caskets are selling out in the northern part of China’s Shanxi Province. Local producers say they haven’t had time to stop production in months.

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