China only counts deaths from pneumonia or respiratory failure in its official COVID-19 death toll; a Chinese health official said, a narrow definition that limits the number of deaths being reported as the virus surges following the easing of pandemic-related restrictions.
Deaths that occur in patients with pre-existing illnesses are not counted as COVID-19 deaths, said Wang Guiqiang, the head of infectious disease at Peking University’s No. 1 Hospital.
China has always been conservative in counting illnesses, whether the flu or COVID-19. In most countries, including the United States, guidelines stipulate that any death in which COVID-19 is a factor or contributor is counted as a COVID-19-related death.
In effect, Wang’s comments on Tuesday clarified publicly what the country has been doing throughout the pandemic.
On Wednesday, China reported no new COVID-19 deaths and subtracted one end from its overall toll, lowering it to 5,241, according to a daily tally issued by the National Health Commission, which did not explain the decrease.
The clarification of how China officially records COVID-19 deaths comes as cases have soared across the country amid the loosening of restrictions. Yet the overall count remains blurry, as China has stopped requiring daily PCR tests, and many people are testing at home. Many people have fallen ill in cities such as Beijing and Shanghai.
WHO emergencies chief Dr Michael suggested China’s definition of COVID-19 deaths was too narrow.
“People who die of COVID die from many different (organ) systems’ failures, given the severity of infection,” Ryan said at a media briefing Wednesday. “So limiting a diagnosis of death from COVID to someone with a COVID-positive test and respiratory failure will underestimate the true death toll associated with COVID.”
Earlier this year, Shanghai was hit by an omicron-driven outbreak. Multiple people told the AP then that their elderly family members who tested positive for COVID-19 and died were not counted in the city’s official death toll. When patients had underlying diseases, the deaths were attributed to those.