China reported on Saturday nearly 60,000 deaths of people who had COVID-19 since early December, following complaints the government failed to release data about the state of the epidemic.
Beijing: China reported on Saturday nearly 60,000 deaths of people who had COVID-19 since early December, following complaints the government failed to release data about the state of the epidemic.
The death toll includes 5,503 deaths due to respiratory failure due to COVID-19 and 54,435 deaths from other illnesses combined with COVID-19. The National Health Commission said those deaths occurred in hospitals, leaving open the possibility that more people may have died at home.
The report will more than double China’s official COVID-19 death toll to 10,775. The official toll on 8 January was 5,272.
The Chinese government stopped providing data on COVID-19 infections and deaths in early December after abruptly lifting anti-virus controls. The World Health Organization and other governments appealed to Beijing for more information amid a surge in infections.
On Saturday China’s health officials said the average age of those who died was 80.3 years old, with over 90 per cent of fatalities above 65 years old. Most suffered from underlying conditions, they said.
Millions of people over 60 years of age in China are unvaccinated.
