China is experiencing a significant surge in infections, but its state media is not reporting on the overcrowded hospitals and busy crematoriums that are a result of the outbreak. Despite this, officials in China claim that only a small number of people are dying from Covid-19, according to the government’s own data.
For nearly three years, China’s strict zero-Covid policy protected its population from experiencing the high mortality rates that were seen in Western countries. The Communist Party has often pointed to this as evidence of the superiority of its governance.
However, as China suddenly abandoned its zero-Covid policy without much notice or apparent preparation, the possibility of a significant increase in deaths – which some research estimates could be as high as one million – has become a challenging issue for the government, which had previously based its legitimacy on its ability to “save lives.”
According to official reports, China has only recorded eight Covid-related deaths this month, which is a surprisingly low number considering the rapid spread of the virus and the low vaccination rates among elderly people who are at higher risk of severe illness. This official tally has been met with skepticism and mockery online, where there are many posts about people losing loved ones to Covid-19. Caixin, a Chinese financial magazine known for its investigative journalism, reported the deaths of two state media journalists who had been infected with Covid on days when the official death toll was zero.
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