China COVID data indicates no new variant, but deaths are under-reported, says WHO

By Alessandro Diviggiano and Bernard Orr

BEIJING – Data from China indicates that no new coronavirus variant has been identified; however, it also reveals that the country has been significantly underreporting fatalities amid a rapidly spreading COVID-19 outbreak, according to officials from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Concerns have escalated globally regarding the accuracy of China’s data following the abandonment of its strict "zero COVID" policy, which has led to crowded hospitals and overwhelmed funeral homes.

The WHO released this information after recent meetings with Chinese scientists and received data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). China has been reporting daily COVID-19 deaths in single digits.

WHO emergencies director Mike Ryan stated in a media briefing that the current figures coming from China do not accurately reflect hospital admissions, ICU patients, or the true number of deaths from the outbreak.

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that the organization is requesting more timely and consistent data from China concerning hospitalization and mortality rates. He expressed concern over the potential risk to life in China and highlighted the importance of vaccination, including booster doses, to mitigate severe illness and death.

The People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s official newspaper, attempted to assure anxious citizens with a message about achieving a "final victory" over COVID-19, countering criticism of its previous isolation policies that sparked rare protests last year.

Following the abrupt lifting of strict controls last month, the virus has been unleashed across China’s 1.4 billion population, which has low immunity due to prolonged shielding since the virus first emerged in Wuhan three years ago.

Health officials in other countries are grappling with the outbreak’s scale and its potential spread. Many have enacted measures, like pre-departure COVID testing for travelers from China, a move that has drawn criticism from Beijing.

European Union officials have recommended that passengers flying from China to EU countries present a negative COVID-19 test prior to boarding. They also called for testing and wastewater sequencing on planes from China and at international airports.

China’s CDC analysis identified Omicron sublineages BA.5.2 and BF.7 as the main strains among locally transmitted infections, reaffirming that Omicron remains the dominant variant currently. This has alleviated fears for the moment regarding the emergence of a new variant of concern.

Many funeral homes and hospitals in China report being overwhelmed, with international health experts projecting at least 1 million COVID-related deaths in the country this year. Officially, China has noted five or fewer daily deaths since policy changes.

Official reports are met with skepticism; a Beijing resident, 66-year-old Zhang, stated, "That is totally ridiculous. Four of my close relatives died. That’s only from one family. I hope the government will be honest with the people and the rest of the world about what’s really happened here."

In response to the situation, China’s cabinet has announced plans to enhance medicine distribution and address the needs of medical institutions, nursing homes, and rural areas.

China has pushed back against countries requiring pre-departure COVID tests for visitors, labeling the rules as unreasonable and lacking scientific justification. Countries including Japan, the United States, Australia, and several European nations have instituted such requirements.

Willie Walsh, head of the International Air Transport Association, criticized these immediate measures, arguing they have not previously succeeded in preventing the spread of viruses and have severely impacted airlines recovering from the pandemic.

Beginning January 8, China will no longer require incoming travelers to quarantine, but testing will still be mandated before departure.

As of Tuesday, China reported five new COVID deaths, bringing its official total to 5,258, a figure that remains low by global standards. However, a health data firm has estimated approximately 9,000 daily deaths may be occurring in China.

Patients at Shanghai’s Zhongshan hospital, primarily elderly, were seen crowded in hallways on makeshift beds, and reports of numerous hearses at local hospitals indicate a crisis situation.

China’s economy, valued at $17 trillion, has been growing at its slowest pace in nearly 50 years due to COVID-related disruptions. Nevertheless, the yuan reached a four-month high against the dollar recently as the Finance Minister pledged increased fiscal expansion, and the central bank signaled support measures.