China’s current COVID-19 outbreak is expected to reach a second peak in the coming months, according to Chinese epidemiologists. The first wave continues to engulf the country, killing large numbers of veteran Communist Party cadres and celebrities in various sectors and overwhelming China’s medical system.
These predictions come as the first wave of the virus is still crashing through China.
The Elderly Bear the Brunt of the Virus
“Many elderly people have died in this wave of the epidemic, such as retired senior officials and artists in the performing arts, who are already in their 80s and 90s.” Japanese commentator Li Wenzheng told The Epoch Times on Jan. 13.Li placed some responsibility for the deaths with the CCP. Elderly party members are no longer useful to the regime, but enjoy high pensions and special medical care and insurance as a reward for party loyalty. Their deaths lighten the regime’s economic burden, at a time when China is struggling economically after three years of pandemic measures.
Forced to Store Corpses at Home
The situation is even more difficult for average Chinese citizens. Obtaining medical treatment is difficult, and when that fails, it is just as difficult to secure a spot for cremation. Families are sometimes forced to store the corpses of loved ones at home or in their vehicles, an anonymous Shanghai resident told The Epoch Times. Shanghai resident Zhang Pei (a pseudonym) told The Epoch Times a friend paid an extra $5,000 to obtain timely cremation for an elderly family member.Shanghai resident Wu Fangyan (a pseudonym) said on Jan. 13 that “hospitals are still crowded. Only one medication is given for each visit, and the one medication does not reduce the fever, so you must go back in the afternoon and wait in line for hours ... just keep registering, waiting in line, seeing the doctor, and getting the medication.”
Wu expressed frustration that doctors are unwilling to give more than one dose of medicine. “Sometimes you can’t even get [one dose of] medicine after lining up for hours.”
‘A Prepared Battle’: Official
China’s policy-makers tell a different story. Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin claimed at a press briefing Jan. 9 that China is fighting “a prepared battle” against the epidemic.The rest of the world continues to express concern about China’s opaque death and infection data. The World Health Organization (WHO) said Jan. 11 that it is working with China but said the country’s response is challenged by a lack of data. “There are some very important information gaps that we are working with China to fill,” WHO COVID-19 technical lead Maria Van Kerkhove said.