Overwhelmed by an unprecedented Covid wave, the Chinese health authorities announce the end of the publication of their daily assessment of the epidemic. These official statistics have been controversial since the abandonment of measures to control and prevent viral pneumonia three weeks ago.
From our correspondent in Beijing,
After the ” zero covid “, the ” zero deaths “. Despite a record increase in cases of contamination nationwide, no death has been officially reported in the past five days by the authorities.
Peak for Lunar New Year
The National Health Commission first announced the end of the consideration of asymptomatic people in its assessments, then the redefinition of the criteria Covid deaths. As of December 25, the institution therefore ends the publication of daily figures for the epidemic. These statistics are called into question, in particular when they are compared with those disseminated by the local authorities.
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This Sunday, December 25, the Zhejiang government sounded the alarm. This province in eastern China, which has as many inhabitants as Italy or South Africa, is registering 1 million new infections a day, a number which should soon double. The peak of infections is estimated to come around the Lunar New Year, in late January according to provincial authorities, when tens of millions of Chinese will travel for the holidays of the Spring Festival.
Herd immunity
“China is entering the most dangerous weeks of the pandemic, points out a note from the Capital Economics institute quoted by the Reuters agency. Authorities are making almost no effort now to slow the spread of infections, and with the start of migration ahead of the Lunar New Year, any part of the country not currently affected by the Covid wave will soon be”. The new strategy herd immunity, aiming to achieve a population immunity rate approaching 80% by next summer.
After talking about the first Covid wave, state media are now talking about the “ latest covid wave “. Zhong Nanshan, the pulmonologist and great figure in the fight against the epidemic who set the ” return to normal life to next March. The World Health Organization says it has not received any data on hospitalizations linked to viral pneumonia in China since the Chinese government relaxed health restrictions.