China CDC Reports 522,000 COVID-19 Cases in July, Up Sharply From June

China’s health authorities have reported 522,000 COVID-19 cases in July, a sixfold percent increase from June, in the latest monthly report, as the COVID-19 epidemic continues to escalate in mainland China. Experts who spoke with The Epoch Times suspect the situation is worse, as local Chinese doctors and residents find more unreported cases.Data released on Aug. 13 by China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) regarding the epidemic in July recorded 522,000 new confirmed cases. This represents an increase of 443,000 cases compared to the 79,000 recorded in June, marking a month-on-month rise of 560.76 percent. Among them, there were 487 severe cases and one death.China CDC stated that the current outbreak is at the “peak plateau of fluctuation,” remaining at a medium prevalence level, which was raised in late July.The term “peak plateau” is a way of describing a situation with upsurges on top of a medium prevalence level, Dr. Jonathan Liu, a medical doctor in Canada and a professor at Canada Public College and director of Liu’s Wisdom Healing Center, said of the new CDC report.“Besides the 522,000 confirmed cases—in reality, there are many more who haven’t been diagnosed, so the actual number is likely much higher,” he told The Epoch Times. “Some people experience mild symptoms and don’t seek medical attention; they might simply rest at home and take some medication to recover.”Previously, Xiaoxu Sean Lin, former U.S. Army microbiologist and associate professor of biomedical science at Fei Tian College Northern Campus in New York, also pointed out that the official data look strictly at hospital samples but do not “tell you directly how many people are infected across the country.”“Nowadays, many people are not tested for mild cases, do not go to the hospital, and do not report self-test results, so the true number of infections must be far higher than the number can reflect,” he told The Epoch Times.China CDC also released data on nationwide sentinel surveillance for acute respiratory infectious diseases for week 31 (Aug.3–Aug.9) on Aug. 13. SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 continues to rank as the top pathogen with a positivity rate reaching 21.2 percent, surpassing 20.3 percent in week 30.A July 27 report by state media outlet Farmers’ Daily cited Chinese medical experts warning that “when the COVID-19 positivity rate exceeds 20 percent, it’s entirely possible for the epidemic to reach high prevalence level.”If the figures for Weeks 32, 33, and 34 continue to rise, that will indicate a serious trend, Dr. Liu said.Taiwan also has seen a rise in COVID-19 infections. Taiwan Centers for Disease Control reported 24,645 COVID-19 cases at hospitals, with 14 deaths and 72 severe cases, for the week of Aug. 2–8.In comparison, the figures released by the Chinese regime—487 severe cases and one death among among the 520,000 cases—are almost certainly not true, as there should be a reasonable ratio between severe cases and fatalities, Dr. Cheng Yuan-yu, a respiratory disease specialist in Taiwan, told The Epoch Times.“Taiwan is seeing a slowdown in the rate of increase as it approaches its peak. Meanwhile, it would be plausible for China to be at a high level. It hasn’t stopped rising or remained on a plateau before any decline begins,” he said.The Chinese communist regime’s official data releases are not considered reliable, given its record of underreporting data deemed unfavorable by authorities, including COVID-19 cases and the outbreak scale since 2020, but they can reveal certain trends.Anecdotal accounts by local medical doctors and residents are useful as supplementary information for understanding the situation on the ground.More Cases than ReportedA mother in Zhejiang Province in eastern China who requested anonymity out of fear of reprisal told The Epoch Times that her 3-month old child was sick and she took the baby to the local community center hospital.“The child had a fever, and the doctor told me to do blood tests for the baby for viral infection. They did not tell me that it might be COVID-19 nor asked me to take a nucleic acid test,” she said.“It was said to be a viral infection, and they did not tell me what kind of virus it was. After a few days, the baby’s throat was hoarse and did not get better. We suspected that it was COVID-19 and went for a test that confirmed it.”People wait at a hospital in Beijing on June 23, 2025. Jade Gao/AFP via Getty ImagesA patient in Shanghai who didn’t give her name out of fear of reprisal told The Epoch Times that she visited Tongji Hospital six times—spending 2,000 yuan ($296.60)—due to a headache caused by COVID-19, yet it was only on the sixth visit that she tested positive for the virus.She recounted: “It started with a sore throat and a headache; later, the sore throat cleared up, but the headache persisted. Before that sixth visit, no one suggested I get tested for COVID; instead, they kept ordering brain CT scans and other tests. Now my treatment has been delayed—I’ve had this headache for 10 days with no relief—and the doctors’ attitude was terrible.”A Chinese doctor posted on Chinese social media platform Little Red Book: “The recent wave of COVID-19 and influenza has been particularly severe. Every day, I see dozens, even hundreds, of patients with colds and fevers. Even though I know full well it’s either COVID or the flu, I’ve been instructed not to proactively mention the option of a nucleic acid test for COVID-19 unless the patient specifically asks for one. Whenever the blood test results come back and patients ask what’s going on, I tell them it’s most likely a viral infection.”Dr. Jiang Shengxue at Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University in Shen Yang city in northeast China said in a video post on Little Red Book that this latest round of COVID-19 symptoms differs completely from those of the common cold or influenza.“The defining characteristics of this wave are not-so-high fever combined with severe throat pain. Most patients experience a mild-to-moderate fever of around 38°C (100.4°F) rather than a very high fever. However, many suffer from a sensation often described as “razor throats”—along with throat swelling and pain when swallowing—which serves as the most typical indicator of this wave of the COVID-19,” he said.Dr. Jiang also cautioned that this wave of COVID-19 infections may be accompanied by symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, and prolonged fatigue; the feeling of weakness can persist even after testing negative.“Many people assume that the absence of a fever means they are in the clear, but not having a fever does not mean one is uninfected, nor does it imply a mild case. Individuals with weaker immune systems, in particular, may experience asymptomatic infections that can still cause bodily harm.”Dr. Feng, a medical doctor working within China’s disease control and prevention sector who gave only his last name out of fear of reprisal, told The Epoch Times on Aug. 17 that the COVID-19 surge is the result of the Chinese population’s multiple cumulative infections, which have brought them to a tipping point.He also revealed that the China CDC has recently been conducting drills, as they anticipate that the COVID-19 epidemic in China might worsen this fall and winter.Even in the face of a widespread outbreak, the Chinese regime might not officially classify it as a high-level epidemic or implement control measures, all because the authorities don’t want to hurt economic development, which is their priority, Dr. Liu said.VariantsChina CDC reported that the Omicron NB.1.8.1 variant and its sub-lineages are causing COVID-19 infections in mainland China, while Taiwan reports PQ.16.1.1.–a specific mutated variant from NB.1.8.1—is the dominant strain that causes infection. Hong Kong media reported that the “Cicada” (BA.3.2) COVID-19 variant had appeared in Hong Kong and was causing infections.COVID variant Photos/ShutterstockDr. Cheng said that BA.3.2 was the dominant circulating strain in Hong Kong from March to May of this year, but it was subsequently displaced. Currently, NB.1.8.1 and PQ.16.1.1 together account for nearly 80 percent of cases in Hong Kong. The China CDC stated that the dominant strain in China is NB.1.8.1 sub-lineages, which is almost certainly PQ.16.1.1.“While Hong Kong distinguishes between the NB.1.8.1 and PQ.16.1.1, the China CDC simply refers to “NB.1.8.1 and its sub-lineages,” he said.PQ.16.1.1. carries numerous new mutations, Dr. Liu said. “The spike protein exhibits enhanced immune escape capabilities and broader transmissibility. This helps explain the sudden outbreaks and the rise in cases—particularly severe ones. As it is undoubtedly a relatively new variant, it is more virulent to the human body.”He warned, “We also need to monitor for the emergence of new variants and the potential for an increase in severe cases. As the virus spreads widely—particularly in the environment of mainland China, and especially given that severe weather conditions can facilitate transmission—we must remain vigilant.”Luo Ya contributed to this report.