Corona infections surge in China - Government announcements do not reflect reality

Recently NHK News on-line reported the following:

中国でコロナ感染者が急増 政府機関発表は実態を反映せず

2022年12月26日 5時38分

中国で新型コロナウイルスの感染が急拡大するなか、東部・浙江省の政府は25日、一日あたりの新規感染者が100万人を超えていると発表しました。

これに対し政府機関が発表した新たな感染者は極端に少なく、実態を反映していない状況に陥っています。

中国政府が今月7日に新型コロナウイルスの感染対策を緩和したあと各地で感染が急拡大し、このうち東部・浙江省の政府は25日、一日あたりの新規感染者が100万人を超えていると発表しました。

浙江省は人口およそ6500万で多くの日系企業が拠点を置いていますが、省の保健当局によりますと、この年末年始に感染がピークとなり、一日あたりの新規感染者は最大で200万人に上る見通しだとしています。

これに対し、国の感染症対策を担う政府機関、中国疾病予防センターが発表した国内全体の24日の新たな感染者は2940人と極端に少なく、このうち浙江省はわずか22人と実態を反映していない状況に陥っています。

中国政府が、感染を徹底して抑え込むこれまでの「ゼロコロナ」政策を事実上、転換する中、今後、感染の実態把握をめぐっても混乱が続きそうです。

Translation

As the new coronavirus infection spread rapidly in China the government of Zhejiang province which was in eastern China announced on the 25th that the province’s number of new infections had exceeded 1 million per day.

On the other hand, the number of new infected people announced by government agencies was extremely small, and was in a situation of not reflecting the actual situation.

After the Chinese government relaxed the infection control measures for the new coronavirus on the 7th of this month, the infection spread rapidly in various places, and among them the government of the Zhejiang, a province in eastern China, announced that it had over 1 million new infections per day on the 25th .

According to health officials in the province Zhejiang which had a population of about 65 million and was home to many Japanese companies, it was said that the number of new infections reached a peak in this year-end and New Year holidays, and new infections was expected it to go up to 2 million per day.

On the other hand, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the government agency responsible for the country's infectious disease control, announced that the number of new infections in the country on the 24th was extremely low, at 2,940, of which only 22 were in Zhejiang Province. It was in a situation that the reality was not reflected.

As the Chinese government had effectively in the processes of changing its "zero corona" policy which had thoroughly suppressed infections, confusion in grasping the actual situation of infections would likely to continue in the future.

              So, the Zhejiang province announced on the 25th that the number of new infections had exceeded 1 million per day while the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the number of new infections was extremely low, at 2,940, of which only 22 were in Zhejiang province. Looking at this discrepancy, I am wondering what has happened to the country.