Almost 25 crore infected by Covid-19 in 20 days in China, claims leaked document

"Using the trends in regional data our team of epidemiologists has forecast the first peak to be in regions where cases are currently rising and a second peak driven by later surges in other Chinese provinces," Airfinity said.

Beijing, Dec 24: In just 20 days, almost 25 crore people have been hit by coronavirus in China after the country lifted its stringent 'zero Covid policy' earlier this month, a leaked document has claimed.

Citing leaked government documents, Radio Free Asia has stated that 24.8 crore people were infected with Covid-19 from December 1 to 20, or 17.65 per cent of China's population.

The report released by the authorities on Covid on December 20 is different from the reality as nearly 3.7 crore were estimated, according to Radio Free Asia. A Chinese journalist confirmed to the radio on Thursday that the leaked document was genuine.

The report claims that the document was leaked from the 20-minute meeting of National Health Commission.

It comes after British-based health data firm Airfinity claimed that China is likely reporting over 10 lakh cases with over 5,000 deaths in a day. "Using the trends in regional data our team of epidemiologists has forecast the first peak to be in regions where cases are currently rising and a second peak driven by later surges in other Chinese provinces," Airfinity said in a statement.

The Airfinity model estimates case rates could reach 3.7 million a day in a January peak and 4.2 million a day in March 2023. Airfinity's Head of Vaccines and Epidemiology Dr Louise Blair said, "China has stopped mass testing and is no longer reporting asymptomatic cases. The combination means the official data is unlikely to be a true reflection of the outbreak being experienced across the country.

"China has also changed the way it records COVID-19 deaths to only include those who die from respiratory failure or pneumonia after testing positive. This is different to other countries that record deaths within a time frame of a positive test or where COVID-19 is recorded to have attributed to the cause of death. This change could downplay the extent of deaths seen in China."

However, the Chinese mouthpiece Global Times amidst the rise in the number of COVID-19 cases has said that all is well.

In a report quoting government officials said that it had put peoples' lives first and that it is striving to protect the lives of the people as much as possible. "At present, considering the new developments in the epidemic, China is constantly optimizing its prevention and control measures to strike a balance between epidemic prevention and control and economic and social development. We are willing to continue to work with the international community to cope with the challenges of the epidemic, to better protect people's lives and health and restore healthy growth of the world economy, and promote the building of a healthy community for all," the report.