Report: China under-reported COVID-19 deaths

It comes as no surprise that the Wuhan wet markets in China are back open, despite spawning the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed 37,778 worldwide.

Wet markets are meat markets where often diseased exotic animals in unsanitary conditions are sold. After spawning SARS and H1N1 and not being closed, genuine concerns arose on whether the Chinese government would enforce their permanent closure with COVID-19.

Now, recent intelligence reports indicate that its government has massively under-reported deaths caused by COVID-19, and that the infection curve in Wuhan has not flatten.

According to Radio Free Asia’s interview with residents in Wuhan, the number of deaths and new infections doesn’t coincide with the numbers released by the government, who is constantly changing how it counts COVID-19 cases.

One Wuhan resident proposed that “Maybe the authorities are gradually releasing the real figures, intentionally or unintentionally, so that people will gradually come to accept the reality.”

Another Wuhan resident was confused by the low numbers, commenting that “It can’t be right … because the incinerators have been working round the clock, so how can so few people have died?” about the standardized cremation of the dead in China.

Thus far, China has reported 3,304 deaths due to COVID-19. Yet, residents of Hubei province, which Wuhan is the capital of, have estimated more than 40,000 deaths in the province alone. This estimate is approximated by the sheer number of cremation urns handed out, which has been said to be around 3,500 per day.

Reportedly, the Chinese government has also handed out 3,000 yuan to silence families, surrounding the circumstances of their loved one’s passing.