The number of Covid patients requiring intensive care in China’s hospitals has peaked, health officials said on Thursday. The statement comes as millions travel across the country for longawaited family reunions, stoking fears of further outbreaks.
Skepticism about China’s official Covid data has been widespread since the country abruptly lifted virus controls last month that had protected 1.4 billion people from the disease for three years.
That’s what China said last Saturday (14). Almost 60,000 people with Covid died in hospitals between December 8th and January 12th an increase of about 10 times compared to previous versions.
That figure excludes those dying at home, however, and some doctors in China have said they are advised not to include Covid on death certificates.
As the number of trips increases during the busy Lunar New Year holiday season, up to 36,000 people could die from the disease each day, according to the latest forecasts from British health data company Airfinity.
Other experts predict more than 1 million deaths from the disease this year.
However, an official with the National Health Commission told a news conference on Thursday that China has been spending the peak period of Covid patients in clinics and emergency rooms and in critical conditions.
The number of critically ill patients in hospitals on Jan. 17 was more than 40% lower than the Jan. 5 peak, an official said.
The new data came after President Xi Jinping expressed concern that rural areas were illequipped to deal with a surge in infections over the holiday period, which will officially start in their hometowns in January.
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