China conceals COVID-19 mortality data revealing heavy toll due to relaxed measures

China's Zhejiang province has removed crucial mortality data that provided insight into the significant death toll resulting from Beijing's relaxation of Covid-19 controls at the end of last year. The wealthy province's reported statistics on Thursday revealed a staggering 73 percent increase in cremations during the first quarter, reaching 171,000. According to a report from the Financial Times, the figure far surpassed the reported deaths of 99,000 and 91,000 during the same period in 2022 and 2021, respectively. However, after the data drew attention on Chinese social media, Zhejiang quickly took it offline.

The situation in Zhejiang shed light on the immense pressure hospitals and crematoria faced after Beijing reversed its pandemic policies in December. Despite the grim reality on the ground, Chinese officials have refrained from publishing detailed and accurate statistics, hindering researchers' ability to assess the virus's deadly spread through the population.

Here is what you need to know

In December, China astonishingly reported no Covid-19 deaths for nearly two weeks, despite mounting evidence of fatalities in hospitals and crematoria. The country's health authorities had narrowed the definition of Covid-19 deaths and instructed local governments to avoid including "Covid-19" on death certificates to downplay the reported numbers.

The World Health Organization (WHO) did not shy away from accusing China of underreporting the severity of its coronavirus outbreak and the actual number of deaths in early January. At the time, Chinese health officials dismissed the concerns, vowing to study and release excess death data to address potential underestimation. However, after seven months, China has yet to disclose any excess death data. The only publicly available statistic for tracking the number of deaths is local-level cremation data. In urban areas, nearly all deaths are followed by cremation, as burials are banned.

Since the fourth quarter, the quarterly reports published by local and national civil affairs bureaus systematically omit cremation data. Some areas have even stopped releasing the reports entirely, which also contain information on marriages, divorces, and other population changes. The Chongqing Civil Affairs Bureau received instructions from national authorities in June to halt publishing statistics while the central government reevaluates data collection methods. The lack of transparent data raises concerns about the true impact of Covid-19 in China and the government's handling of the pandemic.