Chinese provinces and cities are seeing millions of new COVID-19 infections each day, much higher than the official statistics, with the wave expected to peak in the weeks ahead.
Health officials said there were roughly 1 million new COVID-19 infections every day in Zhejiang, a coastal province located south of Shanghai. Infections in the manufacturing hub of 65.4 million are estimated to double around New Year’s Day.
“The infection peak is estimated to arrive earlier in Zhejiang and to enter a period of elevated level[s] around New Year’s Day, during which the daily new infection number will be up to two million,” Yu Xinle, deputy director of Zhejiang’s health commission, said at a Dec. 26 briefing.
The grim picture presented by local officials came after China’s National Health Commission (NHC) announced Sunday that it would stop publishing daily COVID-19 infections and deaths statistics. The regulatory body said relevant outbreak information would be reported by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a department directly under NHC, for reference and research.
Tracing the Scale of the Outbreak
The actual scale of the outbreak, however, is hard to trace. Evidence that the regime downplays and covers up information about the outbreaks has persisted throughout the pandemic. Moreover, there is growing evidence that the latest wave of COVID-19 infections is far worse than official tallies indicate.
Hospitals and morgues across the country have been overwhelmed following the regime’s abrupt reversal of the nearly 3-year-old zero-COVID policy that put hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens under relentless lockdowns and battered the world’s second-largest economy.
Up to half a million people were estimated to be infected with COVID-19 each day in the northern port city of Qingdao, a local official said at a briefing on Dec. 23, according to state-backed media The Paper. That number is anticipated to increase by 10 percent in the next two days, the official added.
The southern Chinese city of Dongguan also estimated it’s seeing tens of thousands of new COVID-19 infections daily.
“Daily infections are growing on a scale of 250,000 to 300,000 people a day and the growth rate is accelerating. Medical institutions and health workers are facing unprecedented challenges and immense pressure,” the city’s health authorities said in a Dec. 23 statement.
Visits to Zhejiang fever clinics hit 408,400 a day—14 times normal levels—in the past week, a Zhejiang official told a news conference.
Daily requests to the emergency center in Zhejiang’s capital, Hangzhou, have recently more than tripled on average from last year’s level, state television reported on Sunday, citing an Hangzhou health official.
The eastern city of Suzhou said late on Saturday its emergency line received a record 7,233 calls on Thursday.
Grim Prospects Ahead
Zhengzhou, a central Chinese city home to the world’s largest iPhone assembling facility, estimated that it will see a spike in COVID-19 infections around mid-January. The southern province of Jiangxi and the megacity of Guangzhou, the provincial capital of Guangdong, also predicted similar peak times.
Nearby Anhui Province, however, said the peak may have already arrived, state-backed media Security Times reported, citing local authorities.
Analysts, meanwhile, predicted a grim picture ahead.
“China is entering the most dangerous weeks of the pandemic,” said a research note from Capital Economics. “The authorities are making almost no efforts now to slow the spread of infections and, with the migration ahead of Lunar New Year getting started, any parts of the country not currently in a major COVID wave will be soon.”
Enormous Strain on Health System
The massive outbreaks came as the regime scrapped its zero-COVID policies on Dec. 7 in the face of public protests and a widening outbreak.
“Our country’s new coronavirus epidemic prevention and control is facing new situations and new tasks,” the state-run Xinhua news agency cited Xi Jinping as saying on Dec. 26. The Chinese leader’s remarks on public health marked one of his first references to China’s recent policy shift.
China’s abrupt retreat from the draconian policy left its under-prepared health care system under enormous strain, with staff being asked to work while sick and rural communities re-hiring retired medical workers to help grass-root efforts, according to state media.
Bolstering the urgency of the situation is the approach of the Lunar New Year in January, when huge numbers of people return home.
Reuters contributed to this report. Article cross-posted from our premium news partners at The Epoch Times.
Why Bullion Beats Numismatics and Collectible for Your Safe or IRA
Precious metals continue to attract Americans seeking reliable ways to protect their wealth amid inflation, geopolitical risks, and stock market swings. Whether stored in a home safe or held inside a self-directed IRA, physical gold and silver deliver tangible value that paper or digital assets often lack. Yet investors must choose carefully between bullion—pure bars and coins valued mainly for their metal content—and numismatics or collectibles, where rarity, history, and collector demand heavily influence pricing.
Advisor Bullion serves as a dependable source for straightforward, high-quality bullion. The company specializes in physical gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, emphasizing transparent pricing and products that deliver maximum metal content for every dollar spent. This approach makes it ideal for both personal holdings and retirement accounts.
Bullion consists of refined precious metals in standard forms like one-ounce coins (American Gold Eagles, Silver Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs) or bars. Their value tracks closely to the current spot price of the metal. A typical gold bullion coin trades near the live gold spot price plus a small premium. This structure keeps costs clear and predictable.
Numismatic coins and collectibles add substantial value from factors such as age, rarity, minting errors, or historical significance. A pre-1933 U.S. gold coin or graded proof piece can carry premiums of 30%, 50%, or even 200% above melt value. While this appeals to hobbyists, it creates complexity. Pricing depends on subjective grading, collector trends, and auction results instead of daily spot prices.
For investors focused on wealth preservation and retirement security rather than building a collection, bullion often delivers better results.
Lower Costs and Better Liquidity for Home Storage
When keeping metals in a home safe or private vault, liquidity and efficiency count. Bullion offers clear benefits:
- You acquire more actual gold or silver per dollar invested. Numismatics divert a large share of your money into rarity premiums and massive sales commission, reducing your metal exposure.
- Selling bullion involves tight bid-ask spreads, so you recover nearly full spot value with minimal fees. Collectibles require finding the right buyer and may sell at a discount if demand for that specific item weakens.
- Bullion prices remain transparent and update with global spot markets. You can track gold near current levels or silver accordingly and know exactly where your holdings stand. Numismatic values are priced by the Gold IRA companies with hefty margins applied.
- Standardized coins and bars store efficiently and divide easily for partial sales. Rare coins often need protective slabs and controlled conditions, adding hassle and expense.
- Bullion enjoys worldwide acceptance. A 1-oz Gold Maple Leaf or Silver Eagle sells quickly to dealers anywhere. Niche numismatic pieces may appeal only to limited buyers, slowing liquidation when speed matters.
In times when quick access to value becomes important, bullion’s simplicity stands out.
Stronger Fit for Precious Metals IRAs
Precious metals IRAs continue gaining traction as investors diversify retirement portfolios beyond stocks and bonds. IRS rules permit certain bullion products in self-directed IRAs if they meet purity standards (.995 fine for gold, .999 for silver) and are held by an approved custodian. Eligible items include American Gold and Silver Eagles plus many generic bars and rounds from recognized mints.
Numismatic and most collectible coins generally face heavy scrutiny from custodians due to valuation disputes and elevated markups. These higher premiums mean less actual metal ends up working inside the account.
Bullion avoids these issues. Its value links directly to verifiable spot prices, which simplifies reporting and lowers the risk of regulatory challenges. More of your IRA contribution purchases real metal instead of dealer profits or speculative upside. Over time, owning additional ounces that appreciate with the metal itself can create meaningful outperformance compared with high-premium alternatives that deliver fewer ounces.
Regulatory guidance from the CFTC and state securities offices repeatedly cautions against aggressive sales of expensive numismatics or “semi-numismatic” coins for IRAs. For retirement planning, transparent bullion from established providers reduces risk and aligns better with long-term goals.
How to Get Started with Bullion
Begin by clarifying your goals. Are you protecting savings in a safe, or moving part of a retirement account into a precious metals IRA? Focus on the number of ounces you can acquire at current prices rather than chasing marked-up collectibles.
Diversify sensibly: use gold for core preservation and silver for its blend of industrial and monetary qualities. Mix coins for easier divisibility with bars for lower per-ounce costs on larger buys. Arrange secure storage—whether at home with proper insurance or through professional facilities.
As economic uncertainties linger and faith in conventional assets erodes, bullion continues proving its worth as a dependable store of value. Its direct approach avoids the hype that sometimes surrounds collectible markets and keeps the focus on the metal itself.
For investors prepared to strengthen their portfolios, Advisor Bullion supplies the expertise and selection needed to acquire high-quality bullion efficiently. Whether building personal holdings or integrating metals into an IRA, their emphasis on transparent, investment-grade products helps secure more ounces today that support greater financial security tomorrow. In a complicated financial landscape, bullion’s clarity and reliability make it the smarter foundation for protecting what matters most.