[The Epoch Times, December 10, 2022](Comprehensive report by Epoch Times reporter Xu Jian) This week, the CCP suddenly stepped on the brakes on the “zero-clearing” policy, which surprised the outside world, and then the CCP reported a very low level of the new crown virus ( CCP virus) patient and death tolls, expert commentary, false figures concealing the scale and severity of this wave of outbreaks.
China’s sharp decline in new crown infections raises doubts
Official Chinese statistics showed no new deaths across the country on Friday (Dec. 9) and just 16,363 locally transmitted coronavirus cases, less than half the peak number of cases last month.
According to common sense and experience, after the CCP loosens its strict control, the spread of the virus will definitely accelerate. Fever clinics in Beijing and other cities are full and antipyretics are sold out, which proves this point.
After China reported a record-breaking 40,000 daily cases of COVID-19 across the country in recent weeks, and positive patients were reported in every region, the curve has suddenly reversed, with official figures showing the number of cases has more than halved.
In contrast, South Korea reported more than 620,000 cases in a single day in March this year, and China’s population is 27 times that of South Korea’s.
This unreasonable infection trend provided by the CCP has raised doubts about the accuracy of its new crown data, which has repeatedly violated normal patterns in other countries.
Expert: Just like three years ago, the CCP concealed the epidemic
Raymond Yeung, chief economist for Greater China at ANZ, said on-the-ground observations showed that some cities, including Baoding in Hebei province, had seen “high numbers of infections”. More large cities will soon see similar mass infections, he said.
The CCP’s cover-up of the outbreak is similar to that seen with the outbreak in Wuhan three years ago, and analysts warn that declining testing and false case numbers make it difficult to assess the real risk to the Chinese population.
“The (China’s) presentation of the number of cases is very similar to 2020,” said Rodney Jones, principal of Wigram Capital Advisors, a macroeconomic consulting group. Wigram The company provides outbreak models to governments during the pandemic.
“We don’t know if we’re going to see real case numbers again, or whether the sharp drop in cases is due to reduced testing or political manipulation,” Jones added.
Wigram predicted that as many as 1 million Chinese could die from a “winter virus wave” that would quickly overwhelm China’s healthcare system as the country abruptly lifts its strict lockdown measures.
In order to save face, the CCP fabricated data
Beijing once publicized and boasted of its “institutional superiority” compared with the West in handling the epidemic. Now that the zero-clearing policy has changed, it is tantamount to slapping itself in the face. Therefore, expert analysis believes that the CCP fabricated the data out of political considerations.
“Like Hong Kong, (the CCP) no longer provides actual infection figures. With the ‘official’ infection numbers declining, the government can finally declare that they have successfully fought the virus,” Yang said.
In late April, when Shanghai was at the peak of its worst outbreak, the CCP reported only 38 deaths out of more than 550,000 cases, a death rate that was unique internationally — if true.
At about the same time, South Korea, which has a high vaccination rate, reported a death rate nearly 20 times that of China.
Hospitals in Beijing have begun to run out of medical supplies, including ibuprofen and paracetamol, as medical staff battle the rapidly spreading outbreak. Beijing, however, reported just 2,654 new infections the previous day on Friday.
Some experts also analyzed that part of the reason for the decrease in the number of infections may be the cancellation of large-scale nucleic acid testing. “I think the decrease in reported cases probably reflects the reduction of large-scale nucleic acid testing services.” Huang Yanzhong, an expert on global health issues and a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told Al Jazeera.
Huang Yanzhong also questioned that after the surge in cases in November, China now has “so many asymptomatic cases and so few severe cases”. “It’s puzzling,” he said, “does it mean they have a different way of counting COVID-related deaths?”
Financially exhausted and forced to unblock?
Other experts believe that the cost of large-scale testing and contact tracing systems in the past three years has been very high, and the CCP’s finances have been exhausted, making it impossible to continue its “clearing” policy, so it has to be unblocked.
Sam Radwan, head of consulting firm Enhance International, said Beijing was forced to make a decision to abandon mass nucleic acid testing as local government coffers dried up.
“The Beijing Social Security Fund Management Center ran out of money and they had difficulty paying their bills for the first time,” Radwan said. “That’s why they closed the testing stations before the restrictions were lifted.”
At present, Chinese people are increasingly concerned about the ability of the medical system to deal with the new crown, and the discrepancy between official statements and reality. ◇
Responsible editor: Lin Yan#