The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    INTERVIEWAhn Hyo-seop wanted to share dedicated love with 'A Time Called You'

  • 3

    Korea's Coast Guard apprehends 22 Chinese after illegal entry attempt

  • 5

    Korea makes last-ditch bid to host World Expo 2030 in Busan

  • 7

    Heavy traffic jams mostly eased on 5th day of holiday

  • 9

    LA-based photographer captures Koreatown unfazed by pandemic

  • 11

    Samsung chief visits Middle East to explore new businesses

  • 13

    No regrets for roller skaters after taking silver in relay

  • 15

    Shin-Hanul No. 2 nuclear reactor begins testing for full operation next year

  • 17

    'Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman' tops Chuseok holiday box office

  • 19

    Unification minister says NK's vicious cycle of provocations, rewards 'no longer works' under Yoon administration

  • 2

    Distraught roller skater apologizes for costly premature celebration

  • 4

    SHINee launches first Japan tour in 5 years

  • 6

    S. Korea wins 1st table tennis gold in 21 yrs

  • 8

    Consumers to face higher prices for daily necessities after Chuseok

  • 10

    INTERVIEWIt is premature to revise ROK-US mutual defense treaty: veterans' group head

  • 12

    Korea picks up 2 medals in table tennis as gold drought continues

  • 14

    National Assembly speeds up efforts to outlaw dog meat consumption in Korea

  • 16

    Internet-only banks outperform legacy lenders in labor productivity

  • 18

    4 injured in rockfall at tourist attraction on eastern island of Ulleung

  • 20

    N. Korea spurs efforts to raise crop production during fall harvest season

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
Wed, October 4, 2023 | 00:08
Asia
Surprisingly low Shanghai COVID death count spurs questions
Posted : 2022-04-21 14:35
Updated : 2022-04-21 03:55
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
                                                                                                 Residents get tested during their stay at a temporary hospital in Shanghai, April 18. Interviews with family members of people testing positive for COVID-19, a phone call with a government official and an independent tally raise questions about how the city calculates virus cases and deaths, almost certainly resulting in a marked undercount. AP-Yonhap
Residents get tested during their stay at a temporary hospital in Shanghai, April 18. Interviews with family members of people testing positive for COVID-19, a phone call with a government official and an independent tally raise questions about how the city calculates virus cases and deaths, almost certainly resulting in a marked undercount. AP-Yonhap

Lu Muying died in a government quarantine facility in Shanghai, April 1, with her family on the phone as doctors tried to resuscitate her. She had tested positive for COVID-19 in late March and was moved there in line with government policy that all coronavirus cases be centrally isolated.

But the 99-year-old, who was just two weeks shy of her 100th birthday, was not counted as a COVID-19 death in Shanghai's official tally. In fact, the city of more than 25 million has only reported 25 coronavirus deaths despite an outbreak that has spanned nearly two months and infected hundreds of thousands of people in the world's third-largest city.

Lu's death underscores how the true extent of the virus toll in Shanghai has been obscured by Chinese authorities. Doctors told Lu's relatives she died because COVID-19 exacerbated her underlying heart disease and high blood pressure, yet she still was not counted.

Interviews with family members of patients who have tested positive, a publicly released phone call with a government health official and an internet archive compiled by families of the dead all raise issues with how the city is counting its cases and deaths, almost certainly resulting in a marked undercount.

The result is a blurred portrait of an outbreak that has sweeping ramifications for both the people of Shanghai and the rest of the world, given the city's place as an economic, manufacturing and shipping hub.

An Associated Press examination of the death toll sheds light on how the numbers have been clouded by the way Chinese health authorities tally COVID-19 statistics, applying a much narrower, less transparent, and at times inconsistent standard than the rest of the world.

In most countries, including the United States, guidelines stipulate that any death where COVID-19 is a factor or contributor is counted as a COVID-related death.

                                                                                                 Residents get tested during their stay at a temporary hospital in Shanghai, April 18. Interviews with family members of people testing positive for COVID-19, a phone call with a government official and an independent tally raise questions about how the city calculates virus cases and deaths, almost certainly resulting in a marked undercount. AP-Yonhap
Workers in protective suits prepare to disinfect a residential compound in Huangpu district, following the COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai, April 20. Reuters-Yonhap

But in China, health authorities count only those who died directly from COVID-19, excluding those, like Lu, whose underlying conditions were worsened by the virus, said Zhang Zuo-Feng, an epidemiologist at the University of California, Los Angeles.

''If the deaths could be ascribed to underlying disease, they will always report it as such and will not count it as a COVID-related death, that's their pattern for many years,'' said Jin Dong-yan, a virologist at the University of Hong Kong's medical school.

That narrower criteria means China's COVID-19 death toll will always be significantly lower than those of many other nations.

Both Jin and Zhang said this has been China's practice since the beginning of the pandemic and is not proof of a deliberate attempt to underreport the death count.

However, Shanghai authorities have quietly changed other standards behind the scenes, in ways that have violated China's own regulations and muddied the virus' true toll.

During this outbreak, Shanghai health authorities have only considered virus cases where lung scans show a patient with evidence of pneumonia as ''symptomatic,'' three people, including a Chinese public health official, told the AP. All other patients are considered ''asymptomatic'' even if they test positive and have other typical COVID-19 symptoms like sneezing, coughing or headaches.

This way of classifying asymptomatic cases conflicts with China's past national guidelines. It's also a sharp change from January, when Wu Fan, a member of Shanghai's epidemic prevention expert group, said that those with even the slightest symptoms, like fatigue or a sore throat, would be ''strictly'' classified as a symptomatic case.

Further adding to the confusion, the city has overlapping systems to track whether someone has the virus. City residents primarily rely on what's called their Health Cloud, a mobile application that allows them to see their COVID-19 test results. However, the Shanghai health authorities have a separate system to track COVID-19 test results, and they have the sole authority to confirm cases. At times, the data between the systems conflict.

In practice, these shifting and inconsistent processes give China's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ''wiggle room'' to determine COVID-related deaths, said the Chinese health official, allowing them to rule out the coronavirus as being the cause of death for people who didn't have lung scans or positive test results logged on their apps. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive topic.

In response to questions about Shanghai's COVID-19 figures, China's top medical authority, the National Health Commission, said in a fax that there was ''no basis to suspect the accuracy of China's epidemic data and statistics.'' Shanghai's city government did not respond to a faxed request for comment.

Statements from the authorities are little comfort to the relatives of the dead. Chinese internet users, doubting the official figures, have built a virtual archive of the deaths that have occurred since Shanghai's lockdown based on firsthand information posted online. They have recorded 170 so far.

                                                                                                 Residents get tested during their stay at a temporary hospital in Shanghai, April 18. Interviews with family members of people testing positive for COVID-19, a phone call with a government official and an independent tally raise questions about how the city calculates virus cases and deaths, almost certainly resulting in a marked undercount. AP-Yonhap
A management worker prepares to be tested for COVID-19 at a residential community currently under lockdown in Shanghai, April 19. EPA-Yonhap

Chinese media reports on the unrecorded COVID-19 deaths have been swiftly censored, and many criticisms of Shanghai's stringent measures expunged online. Instead, state media has continued to uphold China's zero-COVID approach as proof of the success of its political system, especially as the world's official death toll climbs past 6.2 million.

Earlier this month, doubts over the data burst into public view when a Shanghai resident uploaded a recording of a phone conversation he had with a CDC officer in which he questioned why city health authorities told his father he had tested positive for COVID-19 when data on his father's mobile application showed up as negative.

''Didn't I tell you to not look at the Health Cloud?'' said the official, Zhu Weiping, referring to the app. ''The positive cases are only from us notifying people.''

Others skeptical of the data include relatives of Zong Shan, an 86-year-old former Russian translator who died March 29. Despite testing positive and being moved to a government quarantine facility, online test results showed Zong supposedly was negative for COVID-19 on the day of her death.

''My relative, like most of the other people in Shanghai who were notified as positive, all reported negative results'' on the Health Cloud app, one of Zong's relatives said, declining to be named for fear of retribution.

Zong was taken to a government quarantine facility from the Donghai Elderly Care Hospital on March 29, and died there that night. The family was told by hospital staff she was being transferred after she tested positive for COVID-19. But they didn't think the virus was the biggest threat to her health ― rather, it was the dearth of nursing care at the quarantine facility. Zong needed to be fed liquids and couldn't eat without assistance.

She had been in stable condition before the transfer, said a relative. When the family asked for the cause of death, doctors didn't give a clear answer.

''They gave me very vague answers. One minute they said it was stroke, then they said this was also just a hypothesis,'' said the relative. ''But on one point, they were very clear, they said it had nothing to do with COVID. Her lungs were clear.''

Lu, who was also transferred from the Donghai hospital, would have celebrated her 100th birthday April 16; her relatives had ordered a cake and gotten permission to host a small celebration Thursday. But when she tested positive, the family made mental preparations for her death, acknowledging she had lived a long life.

But the strange thing, a relative said, was the night before she died, the doctor had specifically called the family to let them know Lu was now testing negative for COVID-19. Ultimately, the doctor said she died because the virus had worsened her underlying illnesses, said the relative, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue.

Further, the family knew of another patient from the same hospital, a neighbor, who died the day after being transferred to a quarantine facility on March 25 and also had not been counted.

Jin, the Hong Kong virologist, noted the potential political benefits of Shanghai's low official COVID-19 death toll.

''They might claim this is their achievement, and this is their victory,'' Jin said. (AP)

 
wooribank
LG
Top 10 Stories
1Public transit fares to increase in Seoul and Busan this week Public transit fares to increase in Seoul and Busan this week
2Ruling party vows to investigate China's alleged influence operationsRuling party vows to investigate China's alleged influence operations
3Ruling party vows to investigate China's alleged influence operationsRuling party vows to investigate China's alleged influence operations
4Genesis GV80 Coupe looks to compete with Mercedes-Benz, BMW Genesis GV80 Coupe looks to compete with Mercedes-Benz, BMW
5Korean steelmakers on alert over initiation of EU carbon border tariff Korean steelmakers on alert over initiation of EU carbon border tariff
6Korean shipbuilders seek lead over Chinese rivals in selling LNG carriers to QatarKorean shipbuilders seek lead over Chinese rivals in selling LNG carriers to Qatar
7Hyundai, Kia to extend earnings rally on strengthening dollar, solid sales Hyundai, Kia to extend earnings rally on strengthening dollar, solid sales
8Lawmakers want chairmen of financial firms held accountable over misconductLawmakers want chairmen of financial firms held accountable over misconduct
930 out of 74 major financial companies lack female board member30 out of 74 major financial companies lack female board member
10Dong-A Socio Group's honorary chairman passes away at 96 Dong-A Socio Group's honorary chairman passes away at 96
Top 5 Entertainment News
1TREASURE takes flak for excluding Dokdo from its Japan tour map TREASURE takes flak for excluding Dokdo from its Japan tour map
2Two artists' windows to light and serenity Two artists' windows to light and serenity
3[INTERVIEW] Ahn Hyo-seop wanted to share dedicated love with 'A Time Called You' INTERVIEWAhn Hyo-seop wanted to share dedicated love with 'A Time Called You'
4'Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman' tops Chuseok holiday box office 'Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman' tops Chuseok holiday box office
5M+ deputy director discusses Seoul's potential to challenge Hong Kong as Asia's art hub M+ deputy director discusses Seoul's potential to challenge Hong Kong as Asia's art hub
DARKROOM
  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group