China’s top epidemiologist, who steered the country toward Beijing’s stringent zero-COVID measures, has died at the age of 60, according to Chinese authorities.
Wu Zunyou, a chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, died of pancreatic cancer in his home in Beijing, about an hour past midnight local time on Oct. 27.
Mr. Wu, also an adjunct professor of epidemiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, was known as an authority in AIDS and HIV research. He had played a role during the country’s response to the SARS outbreak in 2003 and drove China’s lockdown policy that confined millions to their homes.
During the three-year COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Wu’s health had noticeably declined, with his once black hair turning white.
While Mr. Wu had implied that his change in appearance was due to stress in a March media interview, Chinese reports said that Mr. Wu had been battling cancer for two years.
Mr. Wu had his first surgery in February 2021 after the diagnosis, followed by another in the summer of 2022, which saw his weight plunge by over 60 pounds, according to state-owned ifeng, also known as Phoenix News Media.
Mr. Wu, who in January gained a seat at China’s top political advisory body, the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, had repeatedly defended Beijing’s pandemic measures in public statements.
Mr. Wu had backed theories that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can spread through frozen food packaging, supporting a Chinese propaganda push to obscure the virus’s origins.
Chinese authorities have hailed his “outstanding contribution” to the COVID-19 pandemic and AIDS control. Six top Chinese government agencies, including China’s propaganda department, awarded him the title of “the most beautiful science worker” in November 2021.
Mr. Wu had most recently appeared at a Feb. 27 conference on AIDS in Beijing. His last Weibo post was dated April 2, regarding whether people should wear masks.
