China announces “victory” over Covid-19: “We have created a miracle” Strike paralyzes large parts of German air traffic

The Chinese leadership has declared a “great and decisive victory” in the fight against the corona virus. Following a meeting of the Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee on Friday, a statement said China’s handling of Covid-19 has made “a smooth transition” in a relatively short time since November. Practice has shown that the Central Committee was correct in its assessment of the pandemic situation, its decisions and strategic adjustments.

The session was chaired by state and party leader Xi Jinping. According to state media reports in the Politburo statement, more than 200 million infected people have used medical services. Nearly 800,000 serious cases were adequately treated. The Covid 19 death rate remained “the lowest in the world”. No numbers were given. “China has created a miracle in human history,” praised the official Xinhua news agency. As the situation in China improves, the virus continues to spread and change around the world.

At the same time, the Politburo called on the people of the country with a population of 1.4 billion to be vigilant. All authorities must strengthen the health system and consolidate the “hard-won successes”. Vaccination coverage among the elderly must be increased.

However, there is no precise picture of the massive corona wave in China. In early December, the government abruptly abandoned its strict zero-Covid strategy of lockdowns, enforced quarantines and mass testing. Health officials estimate that more than a billion people have since become infected.

The total number of dead was not published, while crematoriums could hardly keep track of the victims. The propaganda also downplayed its size. Between the beginning of December and the beginning of February, only 83,150 hospital deaths were officially reported, while in China only a small proportion of people die anyway. According to reports, doctors were also instructed not to declare Covid-19 as the cause of death.

Independent foreign estimates, meanwhile, assume at least a million deaths. Model calculations by the London data processor Airfinity even came to 1.47 million deaths. According to a New York Times report, four different teams of experts put the number at 1.0 to 1.5 million. (sda/dpa)