China insists official Covid data is transparent: state media

China insists the data it publishes on COVID-19 deaths is always transparent, state media reported, although the official figures are tiny compared to other countries and their hospitals. overflowing with infections.

Xinhua reported late on Thursday, a top medical director said Beijing’s disclosure of all information about the virus was done “in the spirit of openness”.

A national disease control agency said there were about 5,500 new local cases and one death on Friday, but with the end of mass testing and a narrowing of criteria for deaths from COVID, those numbers are no longer supposed to reflect reality. Some experts estimate there could be as many as 9,000 daily deaths.

“China has always released information on COVID-19 deaths and serious cases in the spirit of openness and transparency,” Jiao Yahui from the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Thursday.

Jiao said that China only counts COVID-19 deaths as those who died of respiratory failure caused by the virus after testing positive for a nucleic acid test, rather than other countries counting. all deaths within 28 days of testing positive.

“China has always been committed to following the scientific criteria for assessing COVID-19 deaths, from start to finish, in line with international criteria,” Jiao said.

The NHC said last week that it would no longer publish an official daily COVID death toll.

Health risk analytics firm Airfinity says it currently estimates 9,000 daily deaths and 1.8 million infections per day in China, and expects 1.7 million deaths. nationwide by the end of April 2023.

The UK-based researchers say their model is based on data from China’s regional provinces, before the changes in infection reporting were implemented, combined with growth rates. cases from countries that were previously free of COVID when they lifted restrictions.

China said this week it would end its mandatory quarantine upon arrival, after earlier this month announced it had abandoned a series of tough measures to contain the coronavirus.

The world’s most populous country will downgrade its management of COVID-19 from January 8, considering it a level B disease, not a more serious type A. infection.

Liang Wannian, head of the NHC’s COVID response expert panel, called the moves appropriate, scientific and law-based, Xinhua reported.

The state news agency reported Liang said that the change did not mean China was letting the virus go away, but instead it was directing resources to the most important areas of epidemic control. disease and treat those who are infected.

© 2022 AFP