Monitoring Desk
BEIJING: China officially reported its first COVID-19 related deaths on Monday in a new wave of the virus since the government began reducing strict anti-virus restrictions earlier this month, escalating anxiety that this could initiate a stern trend as the virus rips through the country.
Monday’s two deaths were the first reported by the National Health Commission (NHC) of China since Dec 3, days before Beijing announced it was lowering Covid 19 restrictions which had primarily kept the Covid 19 virus under observation for three years but triggered widespread protests last month.
Deaths amid Covid 19 restrictions
According to Reuters, their journalist in Beijing observed approximately 20 yellow body bags holding corpses on the floor of an adjacent funeral home, as well as hearses bearing the deceased lining the driveway to a designated COVID-19 cremation. Reuters was unable to immediately determine whether the deaths were caused by COVID.
China has officially reported only 5,237 COVID-related deaths during the pandemic, including the two most recent fatalities. This number represents a minuscule portion of China’s 1.4 billion population and is extremely low by international standards.
