Residents in Beijing and northeast China have reported observing what appears to be a new high in pneumonia-related deaths amid severe cold as the latest wave of respiratory illness continues to swept the country.
Local residents have said that this wave of pneumonia, which they believe is COVID-19, has been more severe than what they witnessed during the explosion of COVID-19 last December when the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) suddenly reversed its health policies and lifted its strict lockdown restrictions.
Peng Zhibin, director of the Respiratory Infectious Diseases Office of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a press briefing held by the National Health Commission on Dec. 24 that the current acute respiratory diseases in China are dominated by the influenza viruses, with other pathogens circulating at the same time, such as mycoplasma pneumonia, adenovirus, and respiratory syncytial virus. He said that influenza is now being seen at a high level.
This wave of pneumonia started to be noticed spreading in China in September mostly among children. It then spiked upwards in mid-October, and worsened further in November, spreading to other age groups while continuing to sweep across the country. The CCP has attributed the outbreak to cross-infections of influenza, mycoplasma pneumonia, respiratory syncytial virus, rhinovirus, and other respiratory infections, while avoiding mention and downplaying COVID-19.
However, the public and international community have not been convinced by the CCP’s official narrative. Recently, there have been increased reports of sudden deaths among young and middle-aged people in mainland China amid the raging pneumonia outbreak, and the public suspects the deaths are related to COVID-19.
Luo Qi, a well-known finance journalist in mainland China and the former chief representative of the Asia-Pacific region of Sina Finance International Department, suddenly passed away on Dec. 24 at the age of 36.
Ms. Luo’s mother posted an obituary on Chinese social media stating that Ms. Luo died of severe pneumonia on Dec. 24 at 5:50 p.m. after all-out medical efforts to treat her.
Pneumonia Deaths in Beijing
Some Beijing residents revealed that this wave of the pneumonia has been very serious, with funeral homes in Beijing facing a surge in deaths, and sudden deaths among young people being commonly reported.
Mr. Li, a Beijing citizen, told The Epoch Times that this wave of the epidemic is indeed serious and that authorities have been suppressing epidemic information. He said that the official reports have not been accurate.
“I also had a viral cold, and taking ordinary cold medicines had no effect. It took me nearly a month to recover. The doctor said that it was a cold. I think this is not an ordinary cold, it is a respiratory disease that is more than 90 percent similar to the COVID-19,” he said.
“From the end of November to the beginning of December this year, there was a small peak in all funeral homes in Beijing. Quite a number of people died in my district,” he added.
Mr. Li revealed that many people died suddenly during this period, which was particularly abnormal. “Many young people in their thirties suddenly fell to the ground and died. This situation is particularly prominent. A young man in my work place, who was very healthy and active, actively participated in outdoor activities, had no physical problems, suddenly died at work at the end of last month.”
Mr. Zhang, a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, posted on Chinese social media Weibo on Dec. 24 that since the outbreak of COVID-19, “many people’s immunity is not as good as before, after being infected with COVID-19 for the second time or the third time, and now mycoplasma pneumonia has not subsided, while influenza is on the rise again.”
Deaths Rise in Severe Cold
China’s northeast regions continue to experience record low temperatures and heavy snowfall. In recent weeks, the lowest temperature in Shenyang city, Liaoning province, has reached minus 26 degrees Celsius (-14.8 degrees F).
A netizen in Changchun city, Jilin Province, posted: “It’s more than 20 degrees below zero in Changchun, so cold! Everyone around me is getting sick. I got home and started to have a sore throat, and having a cold is so unbearable.”
Residents in northeast China revealed that many people died suddenly and they have seen corpses being transported to the crematoriums every day.
Mr. Lin, a resident in Changchun, told The Epoch Times that the COVID-19 outbreak never ended but the difference has been between small-scale and large-scale outbreaks.
“This wave of the epidemic is particularly fierce, surpassing the wave at the end of last year. People infected are showing symptoms of COVID-19. However, hospitals and clinics do not conduct COVID-19 tests anymore but just put patients on IV (intravenous) treatment.”
He also described lots of sudden deaths. “Every day when I walk on the street, I can see hearses taking people to the crematoriums. These vehicles move very slowly, and while they are driving, they throw paper offerings [for the dead] on the road.”
Mr. Hou, a citizen of Harbin city, Heilongjiang Province, told The Epoch Times that a particularly large number of elderly people died this winter. “I attended two funerals so far this winter. There were more than 70 mourners in the crematorium a day, and the crematorium started burning at 6 a.m.”
Huang Yun, Luo Ya, Fang Xiao, and Xiong Bin contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times