BF.7 Variant: China having world's worst Covid outbreak; daily infection rises to record 37 million, deaths to 5,000

China has also made some bizarre changes in its testing patterns.

China is reportedly having the world's worst covid outbreak with nearly 37 million people getting infected in a day this week. The reporting of the BF.7 covid variant has made the matter worst for the country. According to estimates from the Chinese health ministry, the covid outbreak is reportedly the largest in the world so far. The reports claimed that China is likely experiencing 5,000 covid deaths every day. It may be recalled that China is accused of manipulating its covid death figures to keep it very low compared to any other country in the world. 

According to a Bloomberg report, nearly 37 million people in China may have been infected with Covid-19 on a single day this week. The report said that over 248 million people contracted the virus in the first 20 days of December in China. 

China has also made some bizarre changes in its testing patterns. The country shut down PCR testing booths earlier this month. People in China are now using rapid antigen tests to detect infections. The government has freed them from the obligation of reporting positive results. The Chinese government has also stopped publishing the daily number of asymptomatic cases. These all make it difficult for analysts to reach a true infection figure as the data are not being made publicly available. 

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

Chinese officials said Beijing is starting to see severe and critical Covid cases even as its overall infection rate is declining. The covid outbreak is now spreading from metros to rural China, where medical resources are often lacking.