Welcome to today’s Morning Brief, where we’re looking at satellite images of China’s crematoriums, Peru’s escalating violence, and a potentially shaky U.S. future for former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
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Crowded Crematoriums Show True Extent of COVID Outbreak
Welcome to today’s Morning Brief, where we’re looking at satellite images of China’s crematoriums, Peru’s escalating violence, and a potentially shaky U.S. future for former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
If you would like to receive Morning Brief in your inbox every weekday, please sign up here.
Crowded Crematoriums Show True Extent of COVID Outbreak
According to the Chinese government, just 40 people have died of COVID-19 since Dec. 7, when “zero COVID” restrictions were reversed. But satellite imagery examined by the Washington Post suggests the death toll is far higher. Images show, for example, that an in-demand funeral home on Beijing’s outskirts built a new parking lot, and that there has been increased activity in funeral homes across several different cities. Imagery suggests more activity than “comparable periods” over the last year.
The Post also verified social media posts that spoke to “long wait times” and “overwhelmed staff.” Interviews conducted by the paper also indicate that the situation in China is worse than official data would suggest.
The World Health Organization has already warned about the reliability of China’s COVID-19 data, while China insists it has been transparent. The WHO has so far not identified particular COVID-19 variants of concern from China, but has acknowledged that its assessments are being made with what it worries to be incomplete information.
China reopened its borders this week amid a COVID-19 surge that is expected to get …