China’s Covid-19 death toll at 60,000 in a month, says health authority

Medical institutions in China recorded 59,938 deaths between Dec 8 and Jan 12 caused by Covid-19. - AFP photo

BEIJING, Jan 15 (The Straits Times/ANN): For the first time since China abandoned its zero-Covid policy in early December, it is making known the death toll from the virus: Nearly 60,000 people have died in the past month, the majority of them over the age of 65.

At a press conference by the National Health Commission on Saturday, its chief of medical policy Jiao Yahui said hospitals and medical institutions nationwide recorded 59,938 deaths between Dec 8, 2022, and Jan 12, 2023, caused by Covid-19. Among them, 5,503 died from respiratory failure and 54,435 died of complications from underlying diseases.