While global health experts are trying to get information about the Covid-19 wave in China, its Communist Party has announced that the virus has been defeated, Reuters writes.
China’s sudden change in policy regarding Covid-19 containment measures has now exposed almost one and a half billion people to the virus, who have virtually no immunity to it. Many hospitals and funeral homes are overwhelmed, while China reports five or fewer deaths a day.
A resident of Beijing told Reuters that the official information was nonsense and said that four people in his immediate family alone had already died. He said he hopes for an honest attitude from the government in telling what is really happening.
China has rejected foreign claims that its statistics are politically motivated attempts to exaggerate its progress in the fight against the virus.
The official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party wrote: «China and the Chinese people will surely win the final victory against the epidemic.»
After lifting the restrictions, Beijing has been at loggerheads with countries that have mandated testing for Chinese arrivals, saying such rules lack scientific justification. At the same time, China, which will lift quarantine requirements for arrivals from January 8, will still require Covid-19 tests.
Japan has joined the number of countries requiring pre-travel Covid-19 test results. European Union officials will also meet on the 4th of January to agree on a common approach and requirements for travelers from China.
On the 3rd of January, the officials from World Health Organization met with Chinese scientists to discuss the accuracy of their data. Reuters reported in December that the WHO has received no information on hospitalizations due to Covid-19 since restrictions were eased in China, raising concerns that Beijing is hiding the true extent of the virus’ spread.
Airfinity, a British health data processing company, estimates that around 9,000 people die from Covid-19 in China every day.
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