China reports nearly 60,000 deaths from Covid-19 in a month

Majority over the age of 65; number of people seeking treatment at hospitals falling

- Tan Dawn Wei

BEIJING For the first time since China abandoned its zero-Covid policy in early December, it is making known the death toll from the virus: Nearly 60,000 people have died in the past month, the majority of them over the age of 65.

At a press conference by the National Health Commission on Saturday, its chief of medical policy Jiao Yahui said hospitals and medical institutions nationwide recorded 59,938 deaths between Dec 8, 2022, and Jan 12, 2023, caused by Covid-19. Among them, 5,503 died from respiratory failure and 54,435 died of complications from underlying diseases.

It is not known if Covid-19-related deaths that occurred outside hospitals were included in the tally. Crematoriums across the country have been overburdened, while grieving families have taken to social media to complain about long lines.

The health authority stopped publishing daily figures on Dec 25, after the statistics were said to be meaningless, as mass testing was scrapped and mandatory quarantine and treatment were no longer required for those who were infected.