© Submitted by OmniSince March 1, China has reported nearly 450,000 cases of the virus, but only two deaths from the infection — statistics that, according to medical experts, mask the severity of the ongoing micro-wave hitting the country, according to the Financial Times. Several residents of Shanghai, where no death has been recorded since March 1, told the newspaper that their relatives had recently died after contracting the virus. According to virologist Jin Dong Yan of the University of Hong Kong, Chinese hospitals tend to list cancer, heart disease or diabetes for example as a cause of death when people with chronic diseases die after contracting the coronavirus. It’s been two years since the pandemic, but the lack of transparency and political pressure on science and health care hasn’t changed as much as before, says May He, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis. Related links:Jin Dong Yan: The numbers are incorrect – but it’s not certain the hospital in Shanghai is doing it on purpose (Financial Times)Professor Magnus Gislin: China’s zero-sum strategy is impossible in the long run (TT)Food shortages in closed Shanghai – Desperation grows (www.theguardian.com)Read more about the coronavirus at Omni

Source: The Guardian April 17, 2022 15:40 UTC