BF.7 variant: World’s worst Covid outbreak in China; Daily infections record 37 million

Corona virus

China reportedly has the world’s worst outbreak, with nearly 37 million people infected in a single day this week. The reporting of BF.7 Covid variant has made matters worse for the country. According to estimates by the Chinese Ministry of Health, the Covid outbreak is reportedly the largest ever in the world.

Reports claim that there are likely to be 5,000 Covid deaths every day in China. It may be recalled that China is accused of manipulating its Covid death figures to keep it very low as compared to any other country in the world.

According to a Bloomberg report, about 37 million people may be infected with Covid-19 in a single day in China this week. The report said that in the first 20 days of December in China, more than 24.8 crore people came under the grip of the virus.

China has also made some strange changes in its testing pattern. The country shut down PCR testing booths earlier this month. People in China are now using rapid antigen tests to detect the infection. The government has freed them from the compulsion of giving positive results.

The Chinese government has also stopped publishing daily numbers of asymptomatic cases. All these make it difficult for analysts to access the real figure of infections as the data is not being made publicly available.

The report cites data from MetroDataTech consultancy which claims that the current wave in China will peak between mid-December and late January in most cities.

Chinese officials said Beijing is starting to see more and more severe Covid cases, even as its overall infection rate is declining. Covid outbreaks are now spreading from metropolises to rural China, where medical resources are often short.