Array
Nearly 60,000 have died from the coronavirus in China since the country abandoned its zero-COVID policy last month.
Jiao Yahui, head of the Chinese National Health Commission’s Bureau of Medical Administration, told the media on Saturday that the nation recorded 59,938 COVID-related deaths between Dec. 8 and Jan. 12.
More than 5,500 of the deaths were caused by respiratory failure and the remaining fatalities resulted from a combination of COVID-19 and other diseases, Yahui said
The surge in deaths comes after Beijing dropped its strict three-year policy that included frequent testing, travel restrictions, and lockdowns, which triggered widespread protests in November.
The stark update doubles the number of deaths the country previously reported since the pandemic began, although Beijing’s transparency regarding the virus has garnered global criticism.
The distinction between cases follows protocols laid out last month when a Chinese health expert said that only fatalities caused by respiratory failure or pneumonia related to the virus would be classified as COVID-19 deaths.
