China on Saturday reported around 60,000 COVID-19 deaths since early December, marking a dramatic increase in the number of deaths since Beijing relaxed its strict zero-COVID policies.
The count includes 5,503 deaths attributed to breathing difficulties and 54,435 to COVID-19-related situations related to pre-existing fitness problems between Dec. 8 and Jan. 12, China’s National Health Commission revealed, according to The Associated Press. Chinese officials say the country is now beyond its peak.
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“The number of visitors to fever clinics is decreasing after peaking, whether in villages and rural areas,” the Jiao Yahui National Health Commission said, Reuters reported.
China’s death toll of 59,938 particularly multiplies the official death toll of around 5,200 since the pandemic began. It also marks a staggering increase from the 37 deaths first reported in Beijing between Dec. 7 and Jan. 8, according to the Washington Post.
Previously, Beijing publicly counted largely only those who died in particular from the COVID-19 respiratory disease and overlooked cases with other underlying medical conditions. meaning more deaths at home probably weren’t counted.
The official number of deaths in China is significantly lower than in other countries with much smaller populations. USA. U. S. It has recorded only about 1. 1 million deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, despite a population of about 330 million people. China claims to have a population of around 1. 4 billion. Such disparities have raised questions about the accuracy of China’s official COVID-19 figures.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, China has implemented some of the world’s most competitive pandemic suppression measures. The list of policies, dubbed “zero COVID,” aimed to eliminate the disease completely in China and included instant lockdowns, strict measures, intense virtual monitoring and strict quarantine measures.
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A fire in November that killed another 10 people who had been locked inside an apartment due to quarantine policies in the western city of Urumqi, Xinjiang, helped trigger internal anxiety over zero-COVID policies. Mass protests and demonstrations have carried the country through the storm, with some even shouting words like “Xi Jinping, resign!”In response, the Chinese government eased the measures late last year.