In less than a month, from late November to mid-December, at least ten middle-aged celebrities passed away in China. Many are wondering if their deaths are connected to the outbreak of respiratory illnesses that have overwhelmed Chinese hospitals.
Four Officials Died of Illness
Yang Guohe, former deputy director of the Beihai Municipal Reception Office, a division-level official, died on Nov. 29, 2023. He just turned 60 in October this year.Li Haiwen, Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the Beihai Municipal People’s Congress of Guangxi Province, and Chairman of the Beihai Workers Union, passed away at the age of 57 on Dec. 1, 2023, due to an illness.
Mao Hongfang, director and Party chief of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Education, died of a sudden heart attack on Dec. 11 after resuscitation failed. He was only 58 years old.
One Suspected Death From Vaccine Side Effects
Zhu Dong, a professor at the School of Journalism and Communication of Jinan University, passed away on Nov. 22 in Guangzhou at the age of 41 due to illness. Mr. Zhu was a recipient of the 2020 Award for Outstanding Achievements in Scientific Research in Higher Educational Institutions in the category of Humanities and Social Sciences from the Ministry of Education.Hou Yinxia, associate professor at the Department of Economics, Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), passed away on Dec. 6, 2023, at the age of 50 due to illness. Ms. Hou was an Academic Review Expert for Degree and Postgraduate Education, a title granted by the Ministry of Education.
Qiu Yongcai, a professor in the School of Environment and Energy of South China University of Technology, passed away on Dec. 3, 2023, at the age of 40 due to illness.
Mr. Qiu is a Ph.D. graduate of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Since 2012, he did postdoc work at several universities and research institutes, including Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Stanford University, Institute of Nano-Tech of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
He became a professor at South China University of Technology in July 2017.
In that same year, Mr. Qiu was selected as one of the thirteenth batch of China’s “Youth Thousand Talents Program.” He since led or participated in nine research projects under the National Key R&D Program and the National Natural Science Foundation of China, with a total funding of 16 million yuan (about $2.25 million), and won the second prize of Guangdong Science and Technology Award.
Before his death, Mr. Qiu was undergoing a hematopoietic stem cell transplant. He posted a message on his WeChat, telling his friends that his illness was most likely the result of side effects from COVID-19 vaccination.
Executives of High-Tech Companies
Guo Hui, a director of Beijing Tiancheng Yuantong Technology Co., Ltd. passed away on Nov. 22, 2023, in Beijing at the age of 40 due to a medical condition.His company provides professional total solutions for the government-owned education industry, covering areas of e-government, office automation, integrated wiring, security engineering, digital campus environments, etc. It is a designated supplier for Beijing Municipal Government Procurement and a supplier under the Central Government Procurement Agreement.
Wu Gang, deputy general manager of Shenzhen Envicool Tech, a leading precision temperature control company, died on Dec. 2, 2023, at the age of 50.
Famous Actress and Vaccine Ambassador
Kathy Chow Hoi-mei, a popular actress known as “an ageless beauty,” passed away in hospital on Dec. 11 at the age of 57.The news of her death has become an internet sensation, in part because her digital medical record from the Shunyi Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine was leaked and circulated widely on Chinese social media.
Shunyi is one of the six outer suburbs of Beijing, and Ms. Chow lived in a luxury villa in the area.
The details revealed on her medical record suggested that she might have contracted COVID-19.
“The patient has been coughing and wheezing for the past one week, and has been self-administering oxygen at home. [She] experienced severe wheezing at night yesterday [Dec. 10],” it read.
In addition, Ms. Chow had no heartbeat or breathing, and her body was still and cold, when she was rushed to the hospital by an employee of her studio, according to the medical record.
As a famous actress, Ms. Chow helped to promote the COVID vaccination campaign in China in 2021.
In the promotional video, she was riding in a van on her way to get her first COVID vaccination. “My employees and my nanny got their COVID vaccinations before the Chinese New Year. I really envied them. Finally, now I also have the chance to get the vaccine!” she said with a big smile.
It is known that Ms. Chow had suffered from lupus erythematosus for more than 20 years. Shortly after the release of her video, many Chinese netizens asked her why she wanted to take the COVID vaccine, as the vaccination could pose health risks to patients with lupus erythematosus.
Since December 2022, various official sources in China have reported many deaths of experts, senior CCP officials, corporate executives, and young and middle-aged police officers, some of whom have been praised as “outstanding Party members.” However, the CCP has been covering up the epidemic and the cause of their deaths.
