Multiple Viruses Rampaging in China, Some Hospitals Overcrowded

Since March 2025, many parts of mainland China have been facing a severe public health crisis. According to various sources, multiple virus outbreaks are raging across the mainland, with some hospitals overwhelmed, crematoriums expanding, and rural cemeteries nearing capacity.

According to the latest report from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), during the 13th week of 2025 (March 24-March 30), respiratory specimens were collected from flu-like cases at emergency departments of sentinel hospitals nationwide (excluding Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan), as well as cases of severe acute respiratory infections requiring hospitalization.

The test results revealed that the predominant pathogens detected in respiratory samples from flu-like cases at emergency departments of sentinel hospitals were rhinovirus, novel coronavirus, and human parainfluenza virus. For cases of severe acute respiratory infections requiring hospitalization, the main pathogens detected were respiratory syncytial virus, rhinovirus, and human parainfluenza virus.

However, trust in the official response among the Chinese populace is decreasing, with people questioning the authorities for covering up the true extent of the epidemic and accusing discrepancies between official data and actual experiences.

On social media, situations disclosed by mainland Chinese citizens appear to be more severe than official reports. There have been reports of sudden deaths in various regions such as Hebei, Henan, Hunan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Fujian, Yunnan, among others. Locals have recently told media outlets such as Epoch Times and New Tang Dynasty Television that due to the high death toll, some regional hospitals are overcrowded, crematoriums have long queues for cremation, and both cemeteries and funeral homes are expanding.

An anonymous online writer from Shanghai told Epoch Times, “This epidemic in Shanghai feels different from the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2022. The infected population mainly consists of children, with few elderly cases. Additionally, sudden deaths of young people in their thirties and forties have surfaced in the north, a rare occurrence in Shanghai.”

The Shanghai resident also mentioned, “Last year when I traveled to Kunming and visited a rural village, I had diarrhea. The nucleic acid test result showed I was infected with the novel coronavirus. I asked the doctor to write COVID-19 on the report for reimbursement, but the doctor explained that they weren’t allowed to write COVID-19 and could only list it as gastroenteritis.”

A resident of Shenzhen, Mr. An, said, “Now there are many sudden deaths, occurring in people of all ages, with a slightly higher proportion in the younger age group. I have personally witnessed several cases of young people in their twenties and thirties who were previously healthy suddenly collapsing with no prior symptoms. They just shook and fell to the ground. I have seen people collapsing on the streets as well.”

A resident of Nanyang, Henan, Mr. Zhang, revealed, “Our funeral homes are very busy, as are the hospitals. These days when I visit the hospital to see patients, including a relative who was admitted, the ward corridors are filled with beds, the elevator entrances are lined with beds, there’s no space left, every area is occupied by beds, mainly focusing on the cardiology, neurology, and respiratory system wards. During the Spring Festival when I visited the cemetery, I noticed it expanding continuously.”

Mr. Yuan, a resident of Fuyang, Anhui Province, stated, “Many people in their forties and fifties and the elderly are dying suddenly, leading to overcrowded funeral homes and hospitals. After cremation, some are buried secretly. The existing cemetery plots have all been sold out.”

Renowned commentator Tang Jingyuan, currently residing in the United States, expressed to Epoch Times that the current sparse population and desolate scenes in many first-tier cities in mainland China indicate a sharp decline in the overall population in recent years, closely linked to the epidemic outbreaks.

He mentioned, starting from 2020, China has experienced large-scale epidemics intermittently, continuing until now, especially from 2020 to the end of 2023, where the death toll due to the epidemic was immense. Suddenly, at the end of 2023, when the epidemic was lifted, another wave of the epidemic surfaced. However, the measures taken by the Chinese Communist Party were to cover up the deaths from the three-year-long epidemic and instruct that any deaths due to infection must be classified as other causes, prohibiting any mentions related to the epidemic.