Crematoria in China have revealed that they are having difficulty coping with the increase in the number of corpses, amid the boom the country is facing in terms of Covid infections, which authorities have recognized as impossible to trace.
Hospitals are under severe pressure as infections surge and pharmacies are facing medicine shortages after Chinese authorities’ abrupt decision last month to lift most lockdown and quarantine measures and halt intensive testing , which have been in place for nearly three years.
The United States warns that the outbreak has become a concern in the rest of the world, given the possibility of new viral movements and the size of the Chinese economy.
And workers at crematoriums from northeastern China to its southwest confirmed that these facilities are having difficulty coping with a surge in deaths, Agence France Presse reported.
In Chongqing, a city of 30 million, authorities this week urged residents with “mild” symptoms to go to work, and crematoria told AFP they could no longer house any more bodies.
“The number of bodies that have been received in recent days is many times greater than in the past,” said a crematorium worker, who asked not to be identified.
“We are very busy, there are no more refrigerated spaces to store the bodies,” he added.
“We’re not sure (whether it’s Covid-related), you should ask officials,” he added.
In the southern city of Guangzhou, a crematorium in Xingcheng county told AFP that the number of cremated bodies exceeds 30 a day.
“We are receiving bodies from other provinces. There is no other choice,” said an employee.
Another crematorium in the city also said it was “very crowded”.
One of the employees said: “The activity rate is three to four times higher than in previous years. We burn more than 40 bodies a day, while it was limited to about 12 bodies.”
“Throughout Guangzhou, we are receiving calls constantly,” he said, noting that it was “difficult to know” whether the increase in the death count was related to Covid.
In the northeastern city of Shenyang, a worker at a center that provides burial services said bodies remain unburied for up to five days because the crematoria are “completely full”.
In response to a question from AFP about whether the surge in demand was caused by Covid, he said: “What do you think? I’ve never seen a year like this.”
In the capital, Beijing, health authorities reported on Tuesday that five deaths from Covid had been recorded, and the outcome on Monday was limited to two deaths.
In front of the crematorium in Dongjiao city, AFP correspondents reported seeing more than a dozen cars waiting to enter, most of them funeral cars or funeral buses with dark ribbons and bouquets of flowers.
There was a delay getting into the crematorium and one of the ringside drivers told AFP he had been waiting for several hours.
It was not immediately clear whether the crowding was caused by the increase in Covid deaths and crematorium staff would not answer any questions.
The cessation of the massive testing campaign has made it more difficult to track the rise in Covid infections. And last week, authorities admitted it was “impossible” to determine the extent of the outbreak’s surge.
And on Tuesday, Beijing officials announced that those who have died of shortness of breath from the virus are those who are listed solely as having died from Covid.
“Currently, after infection with the Omicron mutant, chronic diseases remain the leading cause of death,” Wang Jiaqiang of Peking University First Hospital told a news conference.
“The elderly suffer from other diseases and only a small number die from shortness of breath due to the Covid infection,” he continued.
“We do not avoid the risks of Covid. At the same time, we must scientifically evaluate the risks of Covid,” he continued.
And on Monday, the US State Department said rising infections in China had become a source of international concern.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said, “We know the virus is spreading at any moment, that (the virus) is out of control, and that it is capable of mutating and posing a danger to people anywhere.”
“The outcome of the virus is causing concern in the rest of the world given the size of China’s gross domestic product and the size of the Chinese economy,” he said.
