Shanghai’s Low Covid Death Toll Revives Questions About China’s Numbers

April 20, 2022

(New York Times) – By the numbers, Shanghai has been an exemplar of how to save lives during a pandemic. Despite the city’s more than 400,000 Covid-19 infections, just 17 people have died, according to officials, statistics they have touted as proof that their strategy of strict lockdowns and mass quarantines works. But those numbers may not give a complete picture of the outbreak’s toll. China typically classifies Covid-related deaths more narrowly than many other countries, labeling some chronically ill patients who die while infected as victims of those other conditions. In addition, a nearly three-week lockdown of China’s biggest city has limited access to medicine and care for other illnesses. (Read More)