'Huge' Rise In China Covid Deaths As Nearly 60k People Died Since Dec: Report

Since early December, when the country lifted its strict lockdown regulations, about 60,000 people have died of Covid in Chinese hospitals.

People wait for funeral service for their deceased relatives at Baoxing Funeral Parlor

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Nearly 60,000 people have died of Covid in Chinese hospitals since early December when the country loosened its rigorous lockdown regulations, news agency Reuters reported quoting authorities' statement. 

After President Xi Jinping abruptly withdrew zero-Covid policy restrictions last month, the country experienced a major outbreak of the virus. Since then, it is predicted that certain big cities have had infection rates of 70 per cent to 90 per cent of their populations, according to the report.

As per the report, the increase in infections has been attributed to the Chinese government's priority on protecting its 1.4 billion people rather than adequately immunising them against the Covid-19 virus.

Although reports of deaths on social media and long lines at mortuaries and crematoriums suggested a huge death toll, officials had only officially confirmed a few dozen Covid-19 fatalities until Saturday, as stated in the report. 

The discrepancy in reported numbers was caused by China's strict rules of how death is attributed to Covid. Only those who died as a result of respiratory failure were counted. Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) criticised the revised classification as being too limited and cautioned that it misrepresented the true scope of the outbreak. However, Chinese authorities stated that it was not essential to blame Covid for every fatality, the report said. 

Chinese Authorities Reveal A Steep Rise In Fatalities Since Anti-Covid Policy Scrapped: 

However, Jiao Yahui, the chairman of the Bureau of Medical Administration, said on Saturday that there had been 59,938 Covid deaths between December 8 and January 12. This statistic included approximately 5,500 people who died of respiratory failure, with the remainder also having underlying health issues. According to Jiao, the average age of those who died was 80, with 90.1 per cent being 65 years and older.

While the end of zero-COVID quarantines and lockdowns has provided relief to many and sparked hopes of an economic recovery, it has also had a significant impact on the older population.

Unvaccinated Elderly Population Proven More Vulnerable To Virus: 

While most cases have been recorded as mild, the unvaccinated senior population has been particularly vulnerable due to the rapid spread of infections, putting enormous strain on the medical system in recent weeks. Crematoria in numerous Chinese cities have recorded record waiting times, and some families in Beijing were notified of a 10-day wait for their loved ones to be transferred from mortuaries for cremation at the start of the new year.

The death toll includes only those who died in hospitals and is believed to be lower than the true figure, despite huge concerns about the illness spreading further before the lunar new year vacation, which begins next week.

The Bigger Challenge Is Yet To Come: 

There is now concern that cases will spread to rural areas as people return home for the Chinese New Year holiday on January 22.

China's holidays officially begin on January 21 and entail the world's greatest yearly movement of people. Over 2 billion travels are scheduled, and tens of millions of people have begun to travel - despite being advised not to visit their elderly relatives in order to avoid infection, according to a report by The Guardian. 

(With Inputs From Agencies)