data under test
China’s sudden U-turn on COVID controls – as well as the accuracy of its case and death toll figures – have come under increasing scrutiny both at home and abroad.
The rise in cases has raised new concerns about the health of the economy and in his first public remarks since the policy change, President Xi Jinping called for more effort and unity in a New Year’s address as China enters a “new Step” is entering.
The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said on Sunday that China reported one new COVID-19 death in the mainland on December 31, the same as the day before.
The accumulated official death toll in China now stands at 5,249, far lower than other large countries. The government has rejected claims that it deliberately understated the total number of deaths.
At the Hankou funeral home on the outskirts of Wuhan, there was an intermittent stream of mourners and hearse drivers on Sunday.
Employees at the site’s highly secured entrance declined to answer questions about their recent workload. But in other cities in China – including Chengdu and Beijing – funeral homes said they were busier than ever since China abruptly ended its COVID restrictions last month.
China’s CDC reported 5,138 official confirmed cases on Saturday, but with large-scale testing no longer operational, experts say the real number of infections is much higher.
State media in the southeastern China city of Guangzhou said on Sunday that daily cases had recently peaked at about 60,000, and are now about 19,000.
Officials are trying to reassure the public they have the situation under control and state news agency Xinhua published an editorial on Sunday saying the current strategy was “a planned, science-based approach” given the changing nature of the virus. represents.
Assurance
Separately, manufacturing of the drugs accelerated last month, Xinhua said, with production of painkillers ibuprofen and paracetamol now at 190 million tablets per day, five times more than in early December.
Production of antigen test kits has almost doubled to 110 million per day in a month.
On Sunday, Australia and Canada joined the United States and others in requiring travelers from China to provide a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival. Morocco will impose restrictions on people arriving from China, its foreign ministry said.