The number of fatalities from the most recent COVID-19 outbreak in Beijing, China, has gradually increased as feverish clinic patients and a rise in the funeral industry indicate a spreading outbreak following a relaxation of strict virus containment regulations.
Unofficial reports suggest a widespread wave of new coronavirus cases, and those who work in the funeral industry and the relatives of the deceased claim that the number of deaths linked to COVID-19 is rising.
The other major issue is the need to build up medical facilities in smaller towns and the vast rural hinterland before the Lunar New Year travel rush in January, when migrant workers will be returning to their home towns.
Chinese health authorities exclude deaths attributed to underlying conditions like diabetes and heart disease and only count those who died as a direct result of COVID-19.
China had long hailed its restrictive “zero-COVID” approach as keeping case numbers and deaths relatively low, comparing itself favourably to the U.S., where the death toll has topped 1.1 million.