Following the relaxation of its lockdown restrictions, China has recorded almost 60,000 death in hospitals across the country since the start of December 2022.
The wave of the virus engrossed in China after President Xi Jinping abruptly lifted zero-Covid policy restrictions last month, as reported by UK Guardian reports on Saturday, saying 900 million Chinese people are already infected with the virus.
It also said some major cities have experienced infection rates of between 70% and 90% of their populations since then.
The surge in infections has been attributed to the Chinese government’s emphasis on shielding the 1.4 billion people that make up its population rather than inoculating them effectively against the Covid-19 virus.
However, authorities have announced the fatalities resulting from the wave was 59,938.
The head of the Bureau of Medical Administration, Jiao Yahui, on Saturday announced there had in fact been 59,938 Covid deaths between 8th December and 12th January, which includes about 5,500 individuals who died of respiratory failure, while the rest also had underlying health conditions. The average age of those who died was 80, Jiao said, with 90.1% aged 65 and above.
Jiao claimed case rates were declining and the peak had passed in most areas. She said the daily number of people going to fever clinics peaked at 2.9 million on 23 December and had fallen by 83% to 477,000 on Thursday. “These data show the national emergency peak has passed,” she said.
