China acknowledges shortcomings in its COVID death statistics

Following a strong wave of protests against the Chinese Communist Party's zero-COVID strategy, health authorities decided in early December to relax restrictions throughout the country. While cases continued to surge, the official death toll did not rise as expected. On Wednesday, a health official revealed that this could be because the only deaths counted are those due to pneumonia or respiratory failure.

Since the pandemic began, China's statistics, both in terms of infections and deaths, have been suspiciously low. For instance, in almost three years, Beijing has reported only 5,241 deaths. Considering the contagiousness of the virus and the fact that China was the first country to detect the virus this is a strikingly low figure for a population of more than 1.4 billion people.

The CCP imposed restrictions unlike any other country in the world, which surely prevented the spread of the virus but ultimately led to the intense protests. However, Wang Guiqiang, an epidemiologist at Peking University No. 1 Hospital, revealed the shortcomings in China's data keeping that could be the real reason behind the country's low rates of infection and death.

China's mortality statistics leave out all deaths as a result of underlying conditions, including cardiovascular problems. For example, according to Guiqiang, the Omicron variant, one of the most widespread worldwide, rarely causes deaths from respiratory problems, so those deaths are not usually reported.

After uprisings in several of the country's most important cities demanding the end of the CCP's strict regulations, health authorities decided to end the zero-COVID policy. Consequently, China is now at a crossroads, as cases are increasing and a significant number of older adults are not vaccinated or have not received a booster dose. This is due to the fact that many people prioritize traditional or alternative medicine and refuse to be inoculated.