Mystery disease outbreak in China overwhelms hospitals in chilling echo of Covid dark days

China is reportedly ravaged by a mysterious virus outbreak that is overwhelming some hospitals.

Videos on social media appear to show hospital wards overrun with patients wearing face masks, and parents holding sick children in long lines in pediatric wards.

There are also unverified reports that crematoria and funeral homes are overwhelmed.

The alarming scenes and lack of official commentary have led some to draw similarities to the early days of the Covid outbreak in China.

Local news reports have blamed a little-known virus called human metapneumovirus (HMPV) – which normally causes a mild cold illness – although officials have yet to confirm this.

The situation is similar to the winter of 2022/2023, when China was hit by a wave of cases of mycoplasma pneumonia, a condition called ‘white lung’ that is also normally mild.

That outbreak was blamed on children who had low natural immunity due to the effects of China’s hard lockdowns and school closure measures aimed at containing Covid.

But official reports from China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention suggest regular flu is leading the latest outbreak, with 30 percent of tests positive for flu and one in seven people hospitalized with a severe respiratory illness .

The Chinese government and the World Health Organization have yet to publicly address the videos, which are being widely circulated on social media.

But the Chinese CDC warned that the number of flu-like illnesses is increasing.

In his latest reportFor the week to December 29, data suggested that 7.2 percent of outpatient visits to local hospitals in the northern provinces were due to a flu-like illness.

This was 12 percent more than the previous week and higher than the same week’s level in every flu season since 2021.

Data for the southern part of the country suggested that 5.7 percent of outpatient visits were due to flu-like illnesses.

This was 21 percent more than the previous week, and also above the level of the same week in 2021, when 4.1 percent of visits were due to flu-like illnesses. However, it was below the levels of 2022 and 2023.

NORTHERN PROVINCES: The graph above shows the share of hospital visits for flu-like illnesses in the northern provinces per week. The red line is for the 2024-2025 flu season and shows levels are the highest since 2021

SOUTHERN PROVINCES: The above shows the proportion of outpatient visits due to influenza-like illness in the southern provinces compared to previous years. The red line is for the 2024 to 2025 flu season

Around New Year’s Eve, videos emerged claiming to show overwhelmed hospital wards in China.

They claim to show hospitals in Hunan – a province in the center of the country – and other areas.

Aboluowang News, a US-based news provider covering China, published quotes from a farmer in Hunan province known as Mr Peng who said he was involved in the rush to hospitals.

“A lot of people have colds, and most of them do [illness]he said in quotes, translated into English.

“About seven to eight people have died in this area this week. Some were in their fifties, sixties, seventies, eighties and forties.”

The website also published quotes from a funeral director named Ms. Wang who allegedly told them there were long lines at her crematorium.

“There are now long lines for the cremation,” she said in translated quotes. ‘Three VIP ovens were opened today.

‘They were all on fire and there was a lot of smoke. It was terrible. If you don’t know about the crematorium, you would think it sells New Year’s items, just like a trade fair is held during the Chinese New Year.’

The above are excerpts from videos purporting to show overwhelmed hospitals in China

This is a sample of a video posted online claiming to show an overwhelmed hospital ward in China

This is also a sample of a video posted online claiming to show an overwhelmed hospital ward in China

In another case, a Chinese video blogger named ‘Please Fei Ge’ said he and his wife fell ill after traveling to Guangzhou for an event.

After returning to their home province, which was not named, they both had fever, body aches and headaches – and were isolated from their children for three days to prevent transmission of the infection.

He was quoted saying, ‘This feeling is exactly the same as when I got ‘yang’. It’s very uncomfortable. If you remember that feeling, wear a mask when you go out in crowded places.”

Last year, alarm was also raised in China over a wave of mysterious pneumonia cases among children, with videos posted online of mask-wearing crowds pouring into Beijing hospitals.

Chinese officials said at the time that the outbreak was not caused by a new virus but was due to a resurgence of illnesses after the end of lockdowns.