China Masking Real Number Of Covid-19 Deaths Under Chronic Diseases: Report

"The numbers are not accurate, but Shanghai hospitals are not necessarily doing this on purpose. From the start, China had this method of recording deaths," Dr. Jin said.

Representational Image | ANI

New Delhi: China has come under scrutiny once again as the number of covid-19 cases surged in the country for masking the real number of deaths due to the virus for other reasons.

The Taiwan News reported, citing Financial Times that Chinese authorities are actually hiding the real number of deaths caused due to covid-19 if the patient has any other chronic disease at the time of death. 

For example, if the patient had cancer, heart disease, or diabetes, then the reason for death would not be classified as covid but as a chronic illness. This faulty methodology was confirmed by Jin Dong-yan, a virologist at Hong Kong University, news agency ANI reported.

"The numbers are not accurate, but Shanghai hospitals are not necessarily doing this on purpose. From the start, China had this method of recording deaths," Dr. Jin said.

As per Taiwan News, “the country has recorded a mere two deaths from more than 443,000 cases since March 1, both of which occurred in Jilin - a province bordering North Korea. Yet, according to a report, several people directly informed the Financial Times directly that their relatives in Shanghai had passed away after contracting the disease.”

The gap in reporting comes down to how Chinese authorities classify the deaths. This methodology of denoting deaths is masking the true death toll of the latest Omicron wave that has strangled the country, experts told Financial Times.

Meanwhile, official underreporting has left China vulnerable to global scrutiny like that of its mismanagement of the virus when it was first detected in Wuhan province in late 2019.

On the other hand, the Chinese population is also not particularly happy with President Xi Jinping’s policy of fighting the virus as the unrest spreads from Shanghai to other parts of the country.

Currently, at least 44 Chinese cities are under full or partial lockdown which has led to disruption in supply lines as officials scramble to maintain the movement of basic goods.