The coronavirus epidemic, and in particular its variant BQ 1.1, continues to flare up in China, while celebrations and population movements surrounding the Chinese New Year this Sunday, January 22, 2023 could exacerbate the spread of the virus.
Dizzy. While the Chinese authorities had already announced the deaths of around 60,000 people in Beijing in mid-January because of the Omicron BQ 1.1 variant, a number that was considered underestimated, Beijing has now announced new worrying numbers this Saturday, January 21.
In fact, the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement that almost 13,000 hospital-related deaths related to Covid-19 were recorded between January 13 and 19. Data that therefore does not include people who died at home.
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In mid-January, more than a month after the health restrictions were lifted and the famous zero-Covid ended, which the Chinese could no longer take, Beijing had between Jan. 8, 2022 and Jan. 12, 2023.
Important population mixes
A record underestimated by Westerners, who have since implemented health protection measures upon arrival of travelers from China to avoid a new outbreak of the epidemic.
Because concern is appropriate, especially since with Lunar New Year, which marks the new year in China and opens a series of large celebrations locally and thus a mixing of the populations, the number of cases could skyrocket.
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According to the British medical analysis company Airfinity, the daily number of deaths from Covid in China is expected to rise to around 36,000 on the occasion of the Lunar New Year holiday. Because tens of millions of people have traveled across the country in the past few days to meet with their families for this occasion.
Airfinity also estimates more globally that more than 600,000 people have died from the disease since China lifted restrictions in December.