China records nearly 60,000 Covid-related deaths in a month: Health body

China said it had recorded almost 60,000 Covid-related deaths between December 8 and January 12, marking the first time China released death toll since its abrupt pivot away from the zero-Covid policy last month.

Director of National Health Commission’s medical affairs department Jiao Yahui said China recorded 5,503 deaths as a result of respiratory failure triggered by Covid infection. Further, 54,435 deaths of people infected with Covid but with underlying conditions, such as cancer or cardiovascular diseases, the director informed.

The official death count will only include deaths with no underlying conditions owing to the new and narrow definition China has adopted. The average age of those who died was 80.3, and 90% of fatalities were aged 65 or over, South China Morning Post reported.

This comes as China was questioned over lack of transparency about the latest outbreak, which has led to reports of hospitals and funeral homes around the country being overwhelmed. Many countries have imposed restrictions on travellers from China calling on Beijing to share more data with the rest of the world.

However, Chinese foreign ministry said that even the Unites States should be pressured to share its data about the spread of the XBB.1.5 subvariant in a timely fashion.