Corona wave in China: Beijing counters criticism from the WHO

Status: 05.01.2023 6:21 p.m

China does not provide any reliable corona numbers, criticizes the WHO and calls for transparency. Beijing denies the allegation. The People’s Republic has always transmitted all relevant information.

By Eva Lamby-Schmitt, ARD Studio Shanghai

China has always shown an open and transparent attitude, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The current pandemic situation in China is manageable. Regarding the World Health Organization (WHO), Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said China hopes the WHO will maintain an objective and fair stance.

Beijing will continue the exchange with the WHO. “We also hope that the WHO will maintain a scientific, objective and equitable position and strive to take an active role in the global response to the challenges of the pandemic,” the spokeswoman said.

WHO: Fatalities underrepresented in data

The WHO had previously criticized China for not providing reliable figures – especially on deaths related to Corona. These are underrepresented in the Chinese data, said WHO emergency expert Michael Ryan.

According to information from the Reuters news agency, the WHO has now received new data from China. These would show a drastic increase in clinic patients. Accordingly, the number of hospital admissions in the week ended January 1st increased by almost 50 percent. More than 20,000 new patients were admitted to the clinics during this period, and 648 died within a week.

Beijing: Deaths in single digits every day

The figures that Reuters reports have been reported to the WHO are not reflected in Chinese state media. Officially, the People’s Republic reports corona deaths in the single digits every day.

On December 7, China abruptly abolished the strict measures of the zero-Covid policy and with it most of the corona tests. Experts estimate that hundreds of millions of people in China may have been infected with Corona in the past four weeks.

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