China admits nearly 60,000 people have died from Covid-19 in the last month, but is the number much higher?
- The figure is the first to be released since the country eased its restrictions
- Officials have been accused of downplaying the seriousness of the virus in the country
- The real death toll could be higher as the reported cases are those in medical facilities
Nearly 60,000 people have died from Covid-related diseases in the past month, Chinese health authorities said yesterday.
The figure is the first to be released since the government eased the country’s lockdown restrictions in early December.
In recent months, officials have been accused of downplaying the seriousness of the virus in the country.
The true total of deaths is likely to be even higher, however, as the 59,938 Covid-related cases detected between December 8 and January 12 account for only those listed in medical facilities.
In China alone, nearly 60,000 people have died from Covid-related diseases in the past month
Just over 5,500 of the deaths were due to respiratory failure caused by the virus.
Despite damning evidence of bodies lining hospital wards, only 37 deaths were officially recorded in China last month.
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has asked China for “faster, more regular and more reliable data on hospitalizations and deaths”.
However, Beijing authorities have insisted that China has been honest with its data.
According to health officials, the median age of those who died was 80.3, with more than 90 percent of deaths being over the age of 65.