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On January 11, 2025, China quietly marked the fifth anniversary of the first known death from COVID-19, with no official ceremonies or widespread acknowledgment, reflecting the government’s ongoing efforts to manage the narrative around the pandemic.
Five years ago, on January 11, 2020, Chinese health authorities in Wuhan reported the death of a 61-year-old man from complications of pneumonia, later confirmed to be caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus. This was the first officially acknowledged fatality of a virus that would soon become the catalyst for a global pandemic, claiming over seven million lives worldwide and deeply altering daily life.
Despite the profound global impact of the pandemic, the anniversary went largely unnoticed within China. Official Chinese media, tightly controlled by the Communist Party, did not feature any memorials or reflections on the tragic milestone. Social media platforms, also subject to strict oversight, displayed little recognition of the day. On Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, a few videos briefly noted the anniversary, but most adhered to the government’s official narrative, which has evolved since the lifting of the zero-COVID policy at the end of 2022.
On Weibo, a platform known for its active user base, there was minimal commentary on the anniversary, though some posts paid tribute to Dr. Li Wenliang, the whistleblower doctor who was silenced by authorities after he shared early warnings about the virus. One comment read, “Dr. Li, another year has gone by. How quickly time passes.”
In Hong Kong, where the Chinese government imposed a sweeping national security law in 2020, stifling dissent, there was also little visible commemoration. The city’s once-vibrant opposition movement has been largely subdued under Beijing’s influence.
Unlike many other countries, China has not constructed major memorials for those who perished during the pandemic. The first known victim, a man who frequented a seafood market in Wuhan, remains largely unidentified beyond his connection to the early outbreak. The virus quickly spread to other nations, making containment efforts in China appear ineffective in hindsight.
China faced significant international criticism, particularly from Western governments, for its initial handling of the outbreak, with allegations of cover-ups and the suppression of early information. Despite these controversies, Beijing has consistently defended its actions, maintaining that it acted decisively and transparently from the outset.
To date, official Chinese records report nearly 100 million confirmed COVID cases and approximately 122,000 deaths. However, the true toll of the pandemic remains uncertain, with many experts believing the actual numbers are far higher. In 2023, the Chinese government declared a “decisive victory” over the pandemic, calling its approach a “miracle in human history.”
As the anniversary passed with little fanfare, it served as a reminder of the continuing sensitivity surrounding the pandemic’s origins and the personal losses that remain a difficult subject for public discourse in China.
