Reports are spreading fear in China that Covid is taking hold fast. The news agency AFP reported that dead bodies are piling up in the country’s cemeteries and there is no place to store the dead bodies in mortuaries.
In crematoriums, employees are working overtime to bury dead bodies. Yesterday, the Chinese government relaxed the strict Covid restrictions. After that, there was a significant increase in Covid cases. The concerned departments say that it is impossible to record the increase in the number of Covid cases and deaths. Following the protests, the government relaxed quarantine norms and mass testing that had been going on for years.
The situation is severe in the North-East and South-West regions. AFP reported that a Chongqing crematorium worker revealed that they are running out of space to store the bodies. He stated that the three crore people of the region are going to work despite having minor symptoms.
Things are similar in the country’s southern city of Guangzhou. A crematorium employee here revealed that more than 30 bodies are cremated a day. Dead bodies are arriving here even from neighboring districts. In the northeastern city of Shenyang, bodies were left in many places.
Seven people died in Beijing in two days. 2,722 new Covid cases were reported in China on Monday. Health department officials informed that BA5.2 and BF7 omicron variants are currently spreading in Chinese cities. The BF7 variant is gaining traction in Beijing. It is estimated that more than 70 percent of the population is infected with the virus.
China’s case count is imprecise as it halted public testing for two weeks. Now people are buying self-testing antigen kits. They are sold at exorbitant prices in the black market. Adding to the concern is that the elderly, who make up 14.2 percent of the Chinese population, are not vaccinated.
On Tuesday, China’s National Health Commission clarified that the official death toll will only include Covid patients who die of respiratory failure. The explanation follows media reports that more people have died from the disease. Those who die of heart attacks following contracting the disease are excluded. Covid-19 deaths will include those due to pneumonia and respiratory disorders due to Covid-19.
