After Chinese New Year, Beijing and East China Experience Surge in COVID-19 Cases and Fatalities among Residents
The COVID-19 infection rate reported by CCP health authorities jumped from 6.4 percent to 21.1 percent in hospitals in less than 20 days in Beijing.
Health officials in Beijing have acknowledged a rise in the COVID-19 epidemic following the Chinese New Year holiday (Feb. 9–17). Residents in Beijing and East China reported an increase in infections and deaths during the holiday period.
The Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Feb. 22 that both influenza and COVID-19 are currently causing respiratory infectious diseases in Beijing. While influenza cases have slightly decreased, COVID-19 cases continue to rise. The COVID-19 positivity rate in hospitals over the past week was 21.1 percent, with the JN.1 variant being the main circulating strain responsible for infections.
Before the Chinese New Year on Feb. 1, the COVID-19 positivity rate reported by the Beijing CDC was 6.4 percent. Within about two weeks, this rate had jumped to a higher percentage, prompting concerns among Chinese netizens who posted on social media about an impending outbreak.
The notice from Beijing CDC also cautioned that as people return to Beijing post-holidays to resume work and schools reopen, the dense population could escalate the risk of transmission.
The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been concealing the true scale of COVID-19 in China since the initial outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei Province, in late 2019. Experts outside China have expressed doubt over the significantly lower COVID-19 numbers reported by the CCP.
In a report by The Washington Post in 2022, a Chinese netizen on a social media site questioned why deaths were reported only in Beijing, raising suspicions about the overall reporting accuracy throughout the country.
Beijing residents shared with the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times that many around them had died during the Chinese New Year, underscoring the continued spread of COVID-19 in China.
Mr. Wang, a Beijing resident, revealed that the outbreak has not diminished post-Chinese New Year but has worsened. He mentioned how medical workers on the frontlines are kept in the dark about the real situation by authorities.
After the CCP abruptly abandoned all COVID-19 control measures in December 2022, leading to a surge in infections, hospitals stopped conducting COVID-19 tests. Instead, the authorities attributed the ongoing infections to influenza and mycoplasma pneumonia.
Mr. Wang emphasized that even though many were diagnosed with influenza, they were given medication specific to treat COVID-19, indicating a discrepancy in reporting and treatment.
Notably, Mr. Wang recounted the case of a friend under 50 who developed a severe white lung syndrome typically associated with severe COVID-19 and died during the Chinese New Year.
Ms. Ge from Beijing echoed similar sentiments, noting sudden deaths of individuals in their 50s and 60s during the festive period.
Wenzhou City: Emergency Room Overcrowded
In Wenzhou, a significant commercial city in Zhejiang province, reports indicated a spike in the outbreak, with hospitals overwhelmed during the Chinese New Year.
According to “Wenzhou Metropolis Daily” on Feb. 17, data from four hospitals in the city showed a surge in patient visits during the 8-day holiday period, with a high number suffering from respiratory infections.
The emergency room of the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University witnessed a significant increase in patients, particularly respiratory cases.
