According to official figures, some 60,000 people in China died from or with a corona infection after the strict zero-Covid policy ended. As the National Health Commission announced on Saturday, 5,503 corona patients have died of respiratory failure since December 8. And 54,435 other deaths occurred in health institutions from other diseases in combination with a corona infection.
The number of new patients has generally decreased recently. Both cities and rural areas are now on a “downward trend” after the peak, Commission official Jiao Yahui said at a news conference. The average age of the victims was 80.3 years. About 90 percent of the reported deaths were over the age of 65 and suffered from previous illnesses.
Overburdening hospitals and crematoriums
On December 7, after almost three years, Beijing abruptly scrapped most of its controversial and strict corona measures such as lockdowns and mass testing. Since then, the coronavirus has spread rapidly in the country, leading to overcrowded hospitals and crematoriums, according to media reports.
Beijing also stopped daily reports on the number of infections and casualties across the country. These had already raised serious doubts among experts and were considered far too low.
About 21,000 deaths are predicted every day in China
The now officially announced 60,000 victims are well below international estimates. London-based data processor Airfinity currently estimates about 3.7 million infections per day in China, with more than 21,000 deaths every day. According to these estimates, nearly 350,000 people have died since early December. According to the forecast, the number of corona deaths could reach 1.7 million by the end of April. First, however, the wave would level off. Another rapid increase follows in early March.
Against the background of the massive wave of infections, the World Health Organization (WHO) and governments of China had demanded more transparency. Fearing possible new virus variants, many states imposed restrictions on travelers from the People’s Republic.
Source: Krone
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