"The World Flying Blind to China"

41,431 corona cases were reported to the RKI yesterday, two percent more than a week ago.

The nationwide 7-day incidence continues to rise, from 254 to 259.

It increases in eight of the 16 federal states.

In nine of the 16 it is higher than it was a week ago today.

187 corona deaths were reported to the RKI yesterday. This means that we have had 727 deaths so far this week.

The current infection process in China is a mystery.

The week before last, the regime in Beijing abruptly gave up the strict lockdown policy.

All other things being equal, one might have expected the reported incidences to increase sharply.

In fact, the reported incidences - which had risen sharply in the previous weeks but were at a low level by international comparison - have not increased. But fallen a lot.

This may also be due to the fact that systematic mass testing was also abandoned when the lockdown ended.

In any case, anecdotal evidence of filling intensive care units does not find any correspondence in the official data.

The World Health Organization is "very concerned" about the development of Covid 19 in China at press conferences.

In its most recent weekly report of December 21, however, the WHO reports the official figures without comment and without further questioning them.

The relevant representations from Johns Hopkins University and (based on it) the Oxford data collectors from Our World in Data also suggest the implausible: declining numbers in China.

Should there be large waves of infection in China or, in this context, the spread of new virus variants, this would also have potentially serious negative consequences for the rest of the world.

However, given the current situation, it can be assumed that such a development would only be recognized with a considerable delay.

We regularly hear the new Corona case numbers. But what do they mean, where are we in the pandemic and what is the trend? Olaf Gersemann explains and evaluates the current figures briefly and concisely - every morning anew.

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