The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Director General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has welcomed the new information about the situation.
As of Saturday, the Chinese authorities announced that nearly 60,000 people have died of COVID-19 since the country lifted its strict “Zero COVID Policy.”
The National Health Commission of China revealed that a total of 59,938 COVID-19-related deaths occurred between December 8th, 2022, and January 12th of the current year. The WHO, however, has criticized the definition, calling it “too narrow” because the National Health Commission only reported deaths that occurred in hospitals, leaving the possibility that the actual number of deaths would have been higher.
These figures include 5,503 deaths caused by respiratory failure directly due to the virus and 54,435 deaths due to underlying diseases combined with COVID-19.
Since abruptly lifting the anti-virus restrictions in early December, the government has stopped sharing data on COVID-19 infections and deaths.
Most of those who died since December 8th were over 80 years old, with most having some underlying conditions, the Chinese National Health Commission said.
Jiao Yahui, the head of the Bureau of Medical Administration under the National Health Commission, said: “The number of elderly patients dying from illness is relatively large, which suggests that we should pay more attention to elderly patients and try our best to save their lives.”
Following this, the health agency mentioned in its statement that the announcement “allows for a better understanding of the epidemiological situation and the impact of this wave in China.”
Spoke with Minister Ma Xiaowei about the #COVID19 situation in #China. I appreciated the release of detailed information, which we request they continue to share. Asked for the sharing of further sequences & cooperation on understanding the virus origins. https://t.co/rJK3AYBirM
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) January 14, 2023
The WHO has further “requested that this type of detailed information continue to be shared with us and the public” and appreciates “the efforts by the Chinese authorities to scale up the clinical care for its population at all levels, including critical care.” (World Heath Organization)