China reports almost 60,000 Covid-19-related deaths in a month, say health authorities

Funeral workers loading a body to a cart to be cremated at a crematorium in Chongqing, China, on Dec 22, 2022. - AFP

BEIJING, Jan 14 (AFP/Reuters): China’s health authorities on Saturday reported almost 60,000 Covid-19-related deaths in just over a month, the first major death toll released by the government since the loosening of its virus restrictions in early December.

There were a total of 59,938 Covid-19-related deaths between Dec 8, 2022 and Jan 12 this year, Jiao Yahui, head of the Bureau of Medical Administration under the National Health Commission, told a press conference.