China’s Outbreak Worsens! Cremation Queues Reported, Mutation Claims Rise: “No Medicine Helps”

Have you heard about a virus people are calling the stiff neck variant? Well, I caught it. I can barely move. I've tried injections, creams, and painkillers. Now even my lower back hurts. Honestly, even if actor Huang Jingyu were behind me offering me a kiss, I couldn't turn my head. I must be hallucinating. I'm lying in bed at night having these wonderful dreams. One user commented, I've been through it. It lasted more than 20 days. I've never had pain this bad for this long. Even going over a speed bump hurts. Riding an electric scooter was even worse. Another user wrote, Diclofenac, Celecoxib, Methylcobalamin. I've tried them all and none worked. After a month, I found that heat packs and basic painkillers at least take the edge off. A stiff neck. I just have to live with the pain. This whole band on the right, from my neck down to here hurts so much I'm afraid to move. I can't turn my neck more than 35 degrees. Massage, pressure, cupping, heat packs, nothing helps. Even the top of my head hurts. When I woke up this morning, the area around my eyes hurt too. I was scrolling through Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, and I saw someone calling this October's new variant the stiff neck variant. I can't take it. I feel awful. People on Chinese social media have been sharing their experiences with illness. Some call sudden severe neck and shoulder pain the stiff neck variant. Others describe a persistent sore throat, recurring fevers, severe coughing, and even suddenly losing their voice. COVID cases continue to rise in China, and virology researchers are warning about emerging variants. Respiratory illnesses become more common in fall and winter. Air pollution could add to the health risks for people who become infected. My shoulder and neck have been hurting for a week. I thought I just slept wrong. Then I saw what might be actually going on. I feel like maybe I'm not allowed to talk about this, but videos mention some new variant. The area feels ice cold to the touch. Last night, the pain kept me awake. I couldn't roll over or lift my head. I felt my upper back, and the area from my neck to my shoulder blade was really cold. So I used a heated salt bag. Then I happened to notice something strange. The spot right here hurts so much. If I press other parts of my head, they don't hurt like that. But this spot is really, really painful. If you've suddenly developed a sore throat these last few days, right where your nose connects to your throat, don't brush it off. If breathing or drinking water feels like a knife cutting you, it could well be the new variant. I've had recurring fevers for seven or eight days. It started with a sore throat, and I kept wanting to drink water. Then came the fever, On and off for 7 or 8 days I've never dealt with such a stubborn virus Then my nose started hurting And finally my eyes Yesterday I finally felt normal again I thought I was getting better Then I woke up this morning with a whole ring of sores I put ointment on them So they're hard to see There are 7 or 8 All with little blisters It's so frustrating Many users in the comments described similar symptoms One wrote My throat hurts terribly I'm coughing like crazy and have a low fever Now my eyes hurt Another said, The fever's gone, but my lungs hurt. I have lots of mucus, and I can't taste anything. Did any of you suddenly lose your voice after catching this variant? Mine sounds like this, and it's been several days. Medicine hasn't helped. Besides this hoarseness, I just have a cough. No other symptoms, no fever. What medicine finally helped you get better? Please tell me. I need recommendations. A Chinese virologist using the pseudonym Zhang told a media outlet on October 21st that the COVID variant, PJ2.1, recombined with RC.5 in mid-October. He said this could make the virus better at evading immunity and spreading. He predicted the next wave could peak in mid-November. According to Zhang, variants to watch include PQ.16.1.1, PJ2.1, and BA.3.2.2. Based on research available to him, he believes the variants spread differently among older adults, young and middle-aged adults, and children. He said serious complications are a particular concern for older people and those with underlying health conditions. He also said some patients who became severely ill during the previous wave have still not fully recovered. Some developed serious problems affecting the heart, blood vessels in the brain, or kidneys. Zhang claimed the death rate reached 77 percent in some groups of severely ill patients with kidney damage. Medical researchers around the world have long studied links between COVID infections and complications affecting the cardiovascular system, lungs, and other organs. Compared with a few years ago, the virus now has many new lineages. The genetic differences between them are also becoming increasingly complex. A team led by Cao Yunlong at Peking University and Changping Laboratory posted a study on BioRxiv, a biology preprint platform. The study, published in September, focused on the COVID variant PJ2.1. The study found that the variant carries more than 25 new spike protein mutations. It also binds much more strongly to ACE2 receptors on human cells than other variants circulating around the same time, including NB1.8.1 and XFG. ACE2 receptors are one of the main gateways the coronavirus uses to enter human cells. Stronger binding could give the virus an advantage over other variants as it spreads. A month later, researchers at the German Primate Center and other institutions released another study on PJ2.1. They found the variant was already spreading in the United States, Canada, Spain, and elsewhere. It also entered some types of laboratory cells more efficiently. These researchers likewise said stronger binding to ACE2 receptors could be an important factor driving its spread. A genomic surveillance report released by Public Health Ontario on October 5 showed that PJ2.1 accounted for 3.1 percent of locally sequenced cases from July 26 through August 22. That share rose to 13 percent from August 23 through September 19. In just four weeks, PJ2.1 rose from 3.1 percent to 13 percent of local sequenced samples, an increase of nearly 10 percentage points. Public health agencies in Canada regularly publish the share of sequenced samples belonging to specific variants and how those shares change. In China, people struggle to find equally detailed public information about which viruses are circulating locally or how many patients become severely ill. Media reports in early October cited a doctor in mainland China using the pseudonym Wang. He said outbreaks in Sichuan, Chongqing, Gansu and elsewhere remained a concern. Some hospitals were internally discussing new variants and severe cases. He claimed some infected patients continue to have severe inflammation affecting their heart muscle, lungs, and other organs. He also said hospitals had discussed emergency outbreak measures and plans for releasing information. An interviewee working in the pharmaceutical industry in Hebei also said many students in some local schools were out sick. In some families, several people fell ill one after another. Radio Free Asia reported on August 5 that a Guangzhou resident identified as Mr. Feng said local hospital fever clinics were packed. Many of his friends and relatives had caught COVID again, yet the public has seen almost no new outbreak alerts. He also suspected some reports of outbreak-related deaths might have been suppressed. A former middle school teacher in Zhengzhou, Henan, also said large numbers of adults and children had developed fevers, coughs, and other symptoms starting a month earlier. Some children had repeated high fevers. Yet COVID was rarely mentioned online or in the media. She said outbreak figures often did not appear online until more than 20 days later. A woman identified as Ms. Pang in Wuhan said more people around her had persistent coughs and struggled to recover. She also had a cough, excess mucus, and a stuffy nose. Medication had not helped her get better. At the time, the China CDC reported that 20.3 percent of patients with flu-like symptoms at designated surveillance hospitals nationwide tested positive for COVID from July 20-26. The head of infectious diseases at Zhongshan Hospital also spoke to the media. Hu Bijie said daily COVID visits to the hospital's fever clinic had risen from a few to dozens. The China CDC has continued to publish National Sentinel surveillance data and monthly reports in recent years. But questions remain about how much the public data covers, how much local detail it provides, and how deaths are attributed to specific causes. It remains unclear whether outbreak statistics fully count patients who never go to a hospital, never get tested, or die at home. Outside hospitals, some funeral industry workers have also begun discussing the deaths they've encountered. A funeral industry worker identified as Ms. Li in Shanxi spoke to a media outlet on October 21. She said business had become noticeably busier and there were lines for cremations. Many of the deceased she handled were in their 30s, 40s, or 50s. Lee said, the busy season is here. Business has been hectic. More people are being cremated and there's almost always a line. Many have died from illness. There's been a lot of sudden deaths this year, especially heart attacks. She added that some of those who died were their family's main earners. At an age when financial responsibilities were heaviest, Their sudden deaths were difficult for their families to accept. A man posting online in Chengdu also relayed what a crematorium worker had told him. He said some families could not even afford burial plots, and some no longer collected the ashes after cremation. The crematoriums in Chengdu are always so busy, but more and more people aren't taking the ashes. A drinking buddy told me this. He works at a crematorium. The pay is decent. It's a public institution. But he says that after many cremations now, the family just signs a form and leaves. Either no one claims the ashes or they collect them, scatter them in a nearby flowerbed and leave. I can understand it. The economy is so tough. Just trying to stay alive may have drained everything they had, their energy and their money. If they'd had tens of thousands of yuan for a burial plot, maybe they wouldn't have died. They could have spent it on medical care, better food and drink, and a happier, longer life. Chinese health insurance authorities ended special coverage for COVID hospital stays in April 2023, returning to standard reimbursement rules. Today, even patients who develop severe COVID may have to pay part of their treatment costs themselves. Data released by the National Healthcare Security Administration in July show that hospital stays averaged 7,339 yuan for people in China's urban and rural resident health insurance program in 2025. At top-tier hospitals, that average was 11,278 yuan. Insurance paid an average of 66% of eligible inpatient costs, falling to 61.7% at top-tier hospitals. For lower-income families facing long-term treatment, a serious illness can wipe out years of savings. If the family's main income also stops, mortgage payments, children's education, and daily expenses become another burden. Data from China's Ministry of Civil Affairs also shows that funeral service facilities have continued to increase in recent years. The ministry's 2025 statistical report, released on September 30, showed that China had 4,882 funeral service institutions by the end of 2025, 88 more than in 2024. There were 1,893 funeral homes, an increase of 50, and 8,513 cremation furnaces, up 294 in a year. Compared with 2023, the country added 277 funeral service institutions and 105 funeral homes over two years. The continued increase in funeral homes and cremation equipment reflects an industry expanding to handle large numbers of deaths. As China enters the fall and winter peak for respiratory illnesses, smog in the north could add to the health risks from outbreaks. In mid-October, Chinese environmental authorities like to moderate air pollution in Beijing from October 25th through 28th. Central and northern Huabei and other areas also faced pollution risks. China's average annual concentration of PM2.5 fine particles was about 0.84 micrograms per cubic foot in 2025, nearly six times the World Health Organization's recommended level. A study published in Environmental Pollution in 2025 found that every increase of 0.028 microgram per cubic foot in long-term PM2.5 exposure was associated with about a 4 percent increase in the relative risk of COVID infection, an 11 percent increase in hospitalization risk, and a 9 percent increase in death risk. Chinese researchers studying 153 hospitals nationwide also found links between PM2.5 pollution and a higher risk of hospitalization for respiratory illnesses, including flu and pneumonia. In his October 21st media interview, virologist Zhang also warned that infected people who had lived in heavily polluted areas for a long time could face a higher risk of hospitalization. As COVID, flu, and other respiratory viruses enter the fall and winter transmission season, air pollution could worsen some patients' illnesses. As they face possible fall and winter outbreaks, people in China also face another long-standing problem. The Chinese Communist Party's control over outbreak information. In late 2019, police reprimanded Wuhan doctor Li Wenliang for warning fellow doctors about pneumonia of unknown origin. During three years of zero-COVID policies, the CCP severely restricted daily life through lockdowns, forced quarantine, and other measures. Then it abruptly lifted many restrictions in late 2022. Infections spread rapidly, placing enormous pressure on hospitals and funeral homes. The coronavirus continues to mutate. People in China are again reporting more illnesses, sudden deaths among young and middle-aged adults, and lines for cremation at funeral homes. Outbreak surveillance data, medical records, and death statistics remain in the hands of administrative and health systems controlled by the CCP. China has medical experts, testing technology, and disease surveillance capabilities, but the CCP's tight control over the media and public discussion creates political and administrative limits. Those limits affect doctors' ability to freely report unusual cases, researchers' ability to investigate independently, and the public's access to timely, complete outbreak information. Doctors' warning about infectious diseases, researchers raising concerns about mutations, and patients publicly sharing treatment experiences should all be part of a normal exchange of public health information. But under the CCP's long-standing control of the media and online discussion, These voices often have to reach platforms outside of China to be heard more widely. The CCP has a vast administrative system that can count the population, manage household registrations, and track social activity. During three years of zero-COVID policies, even entering a mall or taking public transit could require showing a digital health code. Today, people struggle to get equally complete information about severe COVID cases in their cities, unusual changes in recent deaths, or which variants are circulating. Families who lost loved ones during outbreaks may never fully understand how much infection contributed to their deaths. Some patients with persistent symptoms may also struggle to get adequate medical support. The CCP can keep releasing economic growth reports and promoting China's high-speed rail, urban development, and technological achievements. But those achievements offer no explanation to a child who just lost a father, a wife who lost her husband, or a family that suddenly lost its breadwinner. Questions about policy failures, control of outbreak information, and threats to people's lives remain constrained by the CCP's propaganda and censorship systems.