Famous Actors, Professors, and Others Die from Unknown Causes
Doubts Grow Over COVID-19 Death Statistics
As China recently abandoned its 'Zero COVID' policy and eased quarantine measures, reports of unexplained deaths among celebrities have continued.
On the 5th (local time), the British BBC reported, "Doubts are growing over China's COVID-19 death statistics," conveying such news. According to the BBC, at least 16 celebrities are known to have died in China between the 21st and 26th of last month. Additionally, obituaries of elderly individuals aged over 80 have continued, raising suspicions on social networking services (SNS) about possible links to COVID-19.
Elderly patients showing suspected COVID-19 symptoms are receiving IV drips and lying down in a hospital in Shanghai, China. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]
On New Year's Day, news emerged that famous actor Gong Jintang passed away at the age of 83. Gong Jintang played the father of the Kang family, the main family in the longest-running drama known as A Newlywed from a Faraway Place, Local Groom.
On the following day, the 2nd, former Nanjing University professor Hu Fuming, known for his column during his journalism days stating that "uncritically following Mao Zedong's line is not right," passed away at the age of 87. It was also reported that Ni Zhen, the screenwriter of director Zhang Yimou's film Raise the Red Lantern, famous Beijing opera actor Chu Lanlan, and Zhao Qing, a female politician who was formerly an actress, died last month.
The BBC stated, "The causes of death for these individuals have not been confirmed as COVID-19." However, it raised suspicions about why the exact causes of death have not been disclosed. It suggested that the Chinese government might be concerned that an increase in COVID-19 deaths following the recent easing of quarantine policies could trigger fear among the Chinese people.
On SNS platforms such as Weibo, posts linking Gong Jintang's cause of death to other elderly people who died from COVID-19 have appeared. Regarding Ni Zhen's death, reactions included, "Did he also die from COVID-19?" and "No matter how much I search online, I can't find the cause of death."
Meanwhile, the Chinese government abruptly eased COVID-19 quarantine policies last month. The health authorities announced that there had been only 22 COVID-19 deaths since the 12th of last month.
However, on the 4th, Michael Ryan, head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Response Team, pointed out, "The statistics currently announced by China underestimate the true impact of COVID-19 in terms of hospitalizations, critical cases, and deaths." The British health data company Airfinity estimated that daily COVID-19 deaths in China could reach 9,000.
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