Five years have passed since the first death recorded by COVID-19 in the world

The fifth anniversary of The first known death from COVID-19 went unnoticed in China this Saturday, in a country where the pandemic is a taboo subject.

On January 11, 2020, health authorities in the city of Wuhan (center) announced that a 61-year-old man had died. due to complications of pneumonia caused by a hitherto unknown virus.

Also read: China confirms first case of new variant of mpox (monkeypox) abroad: this is known

Previously, authorities had reported dozens of infections with the pathogen later known as SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19.

This pathogen triggered a global pandemic that killed seven million people, It undermined the economy of many countries and paralyzed entire health systems.

On Saturday, however, Beijing’s tightly controlled official media made no reference to this anniversary or any official commemoration.

The ruling Communist Party maintained strict control of public debate throughout the pandemic.

Also read: Human metapneumovirus: what Chinese and world health authorities have said so far

Also on social media, many users seemed unaware of the anniversary.

On the popular Weibo platform, in the comments posted on the old account of Li Wenliang – the doctor who was investigated by the police for spreading early information about the virus – few made direct reference to the anniversary.

“Dr. Li, it’s been another year,” read one comment. “How quickly time flies.”

Unlike other countries, China has not erected monuments in memory of the victims of the pandemic.

Besides, Little is known about the identity of the first victim, except that he was a regular visitor to a Wuhan seafood market where the disease is believed to have originated.

Also read: What Chinese authorities say about the human metapneumovirus: “It is neither new nor unknown”

A few days after his death, other countries reported their first cases, showing that authorities’ efforts to contain its spread had failed.

During the pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) criticized the Chinese authorities on several occasions for their lack of transparency and cooperation.

However, Beijing assures that it shared information about COVID-19 “without any restrictions.”

More than five years after its appearance, The virus that causes COVID-19 has officially infected 777 million people and caused more than seven million deaths, according to the WHO.

Over time and the different waves, the impact of respiratory infection on deaths and hospitalizations has decreased considerably, thanks to the immunity acquired by the population through vaccination and/or previous infections.

Also read: Human metapneumovirus, the virus spreading in China: what are its symptoms and risks?

Caracol News.