--- title: "China Says There’s a New Disease That’s Even Deadlier Than COVID [UPDATED]" description: "China's embassy has put out a warning of an unknown pneumonia disease in Kazakhstan that is reportedly more deadly than the coronavirus." date: "2020-07-09" modified: "2020-07-15" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/china-says-theres-a-new-disease-thats-even-deadlier-than-covid" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "china" - "coronavirus" - "covid19" - "pneumonia" --- # China Says There’s a New Disease That’s Even Deadlier Than COVID \[UPDATED\] ![China's embassy in Kazakhstan has put out a statement warning of an "unknown pneumonia" that is reportedly far more deadly than the coronavirus.]() *\Image: Yakov Fedorov\* *Update: Kazakh officials are now pushing back against China's claims — though questions remain. Here's our [latest story]().* China's embassy in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan has put out a statement warning of an "unknown pneumonia" that is reportedly even deadlier than the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the [*South China Morning Post* reports](). “The death rate of this disease is much higher than the novel coronavirus,” read the warning to Chinese citizens in Kazakhstan, as quoted by the *SCMP*. "The country’s health departments are conducting comparative research into the pneumonia virus, but have yet to identify the virus." Pneumonia is an infection of either one or both lungs and is caused by either bacteria, viruses or fungi. The inflammation can make it difficult to breathe and in some extreme cases can be life-threatening. The statement doesn't include any details and doesn't elaborate on the nature of the virus. COVID-19 has [also been shown]() to cause severe pneumonia in both lungs for some patients. Local media have been reporting a worrying uptick in pneumonia cases in a number of Kazakh cities since mid-June, as the *SCMP* reports, with as many as 500 reported patients across three locations, 30 of whom are in critical condition. Officials and the media in Kazakhstan, according to the *SCMP,* are saying the cases are just regular pneumonia. Reported pneumonia deaths in June account for over a third of pneumonia deaths in the country since the beginning of the year, according to the embassy's statement. Kazakhstan hasn't been immune to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. A state of emergency was declared in mid-March, with lockdowns lifted in mid-May. Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev [warned]() of a second wave this week on a televised address. There have been over 250 COVID-19 deaths in the country of roughly 18 million residents so far, with just shy of 50,000 reported cases. ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()