China has eased restrictions related to fighting the coronavirus outbreak
China has admitted 60,000 Covid-related deaths in just over a month, after the government’s sudden decision to lift strict restrictions linked to fighting the spread of the disease.
China has been accused of covering up the number of deaths from the coronavirus.
This is the first time that Beijing has acknowledged the extent of deaths related to the virus.
Since scrapping the so-called “zero Covid” policy, Chinese officials have been acknowledging only a few deaths each day.
However, an official in the Chinese National Health Authority said on Saturday that China recorded 59,938 deaths related to Covid disease between December 8, 2022 and January 12, 2023.
The number of deaths reported by the Chinese authorities is related to patients who were hospitalized in the past five weeks until last Thursday, most of whom are over eighty.
This figure covers deaths recorded in hospitals. It is believed that the real toll is higher than the announced figures, despite their large number.
The reported deaths include 5,503 deaths caused by respiratory failure due to the coronavirus, and 54,435 deaths caused by health problems of COVID-19 patients, said Jiao Yahui, director of the NHS Office of Medical Management.
Health officials insisted on Wednesday that it was not necessary to disclose the exact number.
And China had modified its handling of deaths that it classified as related to the disease, as it was taking into account those who died due to a defect in the respiratory system only, which was criticized by the World Health Organization.
WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the organization continues to request data quickly and more regularly about hospitalized patients, while following up on virus mutations.
Beijing insists that it has been transparent all along with regard to its data, and has urged the Health Organization to take a scientific, objective and fair stance on the matter.
According to what Chinese officials announced on Saturday, the average age of those who died is 80.3 years, and more than 90 percent of the cases are people over the age of 65, most of whom were suffering from other diseases.