China reports almost 60,000 COVID-related deaths since December

About Covid-19

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Most people who fall sick with COVID-19 will experience mild to moderate symptoms and recover without special treatment. However, some will become seriously ill and require medical attention.

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You can be infected by breathing in the virus if you are near someone who has COVID-19, or by touching a contaminated surface and then your eyes, nose or mouth. The virus spreads more easily indoors and in crowded settings.

Main Content

China’s National Health Commission on Saturday said the country had reported close to 60,000 deaths from COVID-19 since the ending of the stringent “zero-COVID” policy on December 7, 2022.

In a 36-day period from December 8, 2022 to January 12, 2023, there were a total of 59,938 deaths, Jiao Yahui, director of the National Health Commission’s medical affairs department, said on Saturday.

This included 5,503 deaths from respiratory failure directly caused by COVID-19, and 54,435 deaths of those who had underlying conditions and were then infected.

According to the NHC, the average age was 80 while 90% were aged 65 and above.

Numbers of those unvaccinated were not immediately available. As of end-November, shortly before China’s abrupt change in policy and almost overnight lifting of restrictions and ending of lockdowns, only 40% of the 30 million above-80 population had completed the full three doses of Chinese vaccines required, according to data from Hong Kong, to prevent hospitalisation and death.

Since early December, cases in Chinese cities have spread rapidly in what is essentially the country’s first major national wave since the start of the pandemic in early 2020, with zero-COVID insulating the country in 2020 and 2021 but unable to deal with more transmissable Omicron variants last year.

While the ending of zero-COVID quarantines and lockdowns has brought relief for many and sparked hopes of an economic revival, it has also hit the elderly population hard.

While most cases have been reported as mild, the unvaccinated elderly population has been vulnerable amid the rapid spread of cases, leading to huge pressure in recent weeks on the medical system. Crematoria in many Chinese cities have reported record waiting periods, and at the start of the new year, some families in Beijing were told of a 10-day wait for their loved ones to be transferred from morgues for cremation.

There is now concern of a spread of cases to rural areas as many return home ahead of the January 22 Chinese New Year holiday.

In China, from 3 January 2020 to 5:07pm CET, 13 January 2023, there have been 10,855,369 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 33,698 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 28 November 2022, a total of 3,465,113,661 vaccine doses have been administered.

Covid cases in China have touched a jaw-dropping 900 million by January 11, BBC reported quoting a Peking University study. Around 64 per cent of the Chinese population is estimated to be infected by the coronavirus, the study has revealed.

Gansu province is on top with approx 91 per cent of people being infected followed by Yunnan 84 per cent in the second spot and Qinghai 80 per cent in the third spot.

Peak of China's Covid Wave

Former head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control Zeng Guang has claimed that the peak of covid surge in China was expected to last two to three months. Rural China is warned of an upsurge in cases in the lunar new year by the top Chinese epidemiologist.

After abandoning the zero-Covid policy with reduced restrictions on traveling, millions of Chinese have travelled for the first time to their hometowns since the pandemic began. This comes ahead of Chinese lunar new year which will be on January 23. With holidays starting from January 21 in China for Lunar New Year, around two billion people are expected to travel.

Hospitals Overcrowded with Covid Patients

In cities, hospitals are overcrowded as the virus has spread all over the country. However, Officials said many cities and provinces have already passed the peak of infections.

Zero Covid policies were abruptly abandoned in China last month and also borders are reopened on Sunday.

Official data shows five or fewer deaths a day in contradiction to long queues at funerals and more deaths reported on social media. Chinese officials have now planned to update the Covid situation in the country every month instead of daily reports.