China Stops Publishing Daily COVID-19 Figures
China stopped publishing daily figures for COVID-19 cases and deaths on Sunday 25 December 2022, ending a practice that began in early 2020.
The move came as Chinese cities are struggling with surging coronavirus cases after Beijing lifted its zero-COVID regime measures this month.
The sharp rise in new coronavirus infections has resulted in a stampede for medication and overflows at hospitals and crematoriums.
Last week China admitted the scale of the outbreak has become “impossible” to track following the end of mandatory mass testing, reported Al Jazeera.
Announcing the decision to halt the publication of daily figures for COVID-19 cases and deaths on Sunday, the NHC said:
From today, we will no longer publish daily information on the epidemic.
The Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] will publish information about the outbreak for reference and research purposes.
However, the NHC did not offer an explanation for its decision to stop releasing daily COVID data.
It also did not specify the type or frequency of information to be published.
China has in the past been accused of suppressing the number of fatalities attributable to the coronavirus.
