China could have nearly 37 million new coronavirus cases a day this week. This is demonstrated by the estimates published in the internal documents of the National Health Commission.
Up to 248 million people, nearly 18 percent of China’s population, were infected between December 1 and 20, according to minutes of an internal meeting held by the commission on Wednesday. Confirmed with officials involved in the meeting.
If the figures are accurate, the number of people infected will be far higher than the previous record of around 4 million people in a single day set in January 2022.
Following the rapid lifting of restrictions on corona countermeasures by Chinese authorities, highly contagious Omicron mutations have spread explosively among citizens who lack natural immunity. More than half of the population in the southwestern province of Sichuan and the capital, Beijing, has been infected, according to estimates by the National Health Commission.
It’s unclear how the estimated figures were reached, as China shut down PCR testing venues in various places earlier this month. Even accurate infection rates were difficult in other countries during the outbreak.
The Health Commission did not respond to a faxed request for comment from Bloomberg News. Phone calls and faxes to the new coronavirus response department set up under the committee have gone unanswered.
Original title:China estimates that the Covid surge is infecting 37 million people a day(extract)
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