After the Lunar New Year in mainland China, the ongoing wave of the pandemic continues to rage, with many children and young people succumbing to the disease. Anhui Hefei Disease Control Center issued a warning indicating that the intensity of the flu has reached level 4. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, terms like high, medium, and low-risk areas were categorized into 5 levels according to the severity of the outbreak.
The latest official data released by the Chinese Communist Party revealed that in the previous month, over 2.8 million people were infected with the flu in January, resulting in 9 deaths. However, informed individuals, experts, and insiders in China have disclosed more truths that have been concealed by the authorities.
According to the “National Overview of Notifiable Infectious Diseases in January 2025” published by the Chinese National Health Commission on February 14, a total of 3,382,111 cases of notifiable infectious diseases were reported nationally in January 2025, resulting in 1,701 deaths.
Among these cases, there were 33,218 confirmed COVID-19 infections with 4 deaths, and 2,870,849 flu cases with 9 deaths. H7N9 avian flu and highly pathogenic avian flu infections in humans did not result in any reported cases or deaths.
On February 8, the mainland Chinese newspaper “Nanfang Daily” reported that Hong Kong experienced 240 severe flu cases, including 137 fatalities within a month (from January 5 to February 5).
A professor from the Canadian College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dr. Jonathan Liu, expressed concerns to a media outlet on the 16th, suggesting that the reported death toll in Hong Kong might not be entirely accurate. He emphasized the need for heightened vigilance as a high number of flu-related deaths could signify a significant outbreak of the disease.
Dr. Liu further criticized the data released by mainland China, pointing out discrepancies between the official figures and the actual situation experienced by common people in terms of hospitalizations and deaths, implying that the numbers could be fabricated.
A frontline epidemic prevention official in mainland China stated to a reporter on the 16th, indicating distrust in the figures provided by the authorities, accusing them of concealing not only the epidemic but also other critical information from the public.
Regarding the handling of the situation, Dr. Liu mentioned that many healthcare workers in mainland China, including hospitals, are intentionally aiding the authorities in covering up the data to downplay the severity of the epidemic, as their primary focus is on maintaining economic stability and attracting foreign investments.
An outbreak whistleblower in China emphasized the discrepancy in defining flu-related deaths, similar to COVID-19 criteria, leading to a significant underestimation of the actual mortality rate. This, in turn, could misinform the public, potentially resulting in neglect of preventive measures and a surge in infections and severe COVID-19 cases, raising questions about the balance between economic interests and public health safety.
On February 14, the Shenzhen Disease Control Center issued a warning highlighting the active transmission of the novel coronavirus (norovirus) in Shenzhen, escalating the risk level from “low” to “moderate” between February 12 and 18, appealing for enhanced preventive measures due to the heightened susceptibility among the population.
These recent reports and developments indicate the severity of the epidemic in various regions of mainland China during the Lunar New Year period, with hospitals overwhelmed and a substantial increase in fatalities, reflecting an urgent need for coordinated response and effective containment measures.