Massive spike in Covid-19 deaths over eight weeks: WHO

HQ Team

January 28, 2023: The Covid-19 virus had claimed the lives of 170,000 people over the last eight weeks, after China lifted restrictions imposed during early stages of the pandemic, the WHO stated.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the global health agency said surveillance and genetic sequencing have declined dramatically around the world, making it more difficult to track known variants and detect new ones.

The pandemic has killed more than 6.7 million people since the outbreak four years ago.

In October 2022, the number of weekly reported deaths was near the lowest since the pandemic began – less than 10 thousand a week, Tedros said in a statement. “However, since the beginning of December, the number of weekly reported deaths globally has been rising.

“In addition, the lifting of restrictions in China has led to a spike in deaths in the world’s most populous nation. Last week, almost 40 thousand deaths were reported to WHO, more than half of them from China.”

Zero-Covid policy

China shunned its Zero-Covid policy due to widespread protests against the strict measures and abolished compulsory quarantine, regular testing and lockdowns. Beijing also lifted quarantine provisions for inbound travellers. 

It also closed its international borders. New variants have emerged in that country causing shortages of medicines and overcrowding in hospitals.

The WHO had urged China for better data sharing during a meeting with Chinese authorities earlier this month. China reported data indicate a decline in case numbers, hospitalizations, and those requiring critical care.

WHO has requested a more detailed breakdown of data by province over time.  

“As we enter the fourth year of the pandemic, we are certainly in a much better position now than we were a year ago, when the Omicron wave was at its peak, and more than 70 thousand deaths were being reported to WHO each week,” Tedros said.

Actual numbers higher

“In total, over the past eight weeks, more than 170 thousand deaths have been reported. The actual number is certainly much higher,” he said.

Vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics have been critical in preventing severe disease, saving lives and taking the pressure off health systems and health workers.

But the global response remains hobbled because in too many countries, these powerful, life-saving tools are still not getting to the populations that need them most – especially older people and health workers, he said.

Many health systems around the world are struggling to cope with COVID-19, on top of caring for patients with other diseases including influenza and RSV, and with work shortages and fatigued health workers.

“And public trust in the safe and effective tools for controlling COVID-19 is being undermined by a continuous torrent of mis- and disinformation,” Tedros said.