Daily Covid deaths in China down by nearly 80%, say authorities

Chinese authorities said that the daily number of Covid deaths in China had fallen by nearly 80 per cent since the beginning of January. According to a statement by China's Centrefor Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday (January 25), there were 896 deaths attributable to Covid on Monday (January 23), a decline of 79 per cent from January 4. However, the figures are believed to beonly representing a fraction of the true toll, given the government's definition of a virus death, a report by the news agency AFP said on Thursday.

Last week, the CDC said that nearly 13,000 infected patients died between January 13 and 19. And before that, around 60,000 patients died in hospitals in just over a month.

Recent local government announcements and media reports indicated that the Covid wave may have started to recede since peaking in late December last year and early January this year when hospitals and crematoriums were full. On the other hand, an official from the National Health Commission (NHC) said last week that China passed the peak of patients in fever clinics, emergency rooms and in critical condition.

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On Wednesday, the CDC also said severe cases in China's hospitals dwindled to 36,000 by Monday, a 72% drop from 128,000 cases on January 5. The announcement comes as citizens are celebrating Lunar New Year. Authorities had previously warned that this period of mass travel and social gatherings may trigger a renewed spike in infections. Additionally, some global experts warned about the possibility of a surge in infections in rural areas that are less equipped to deal with the virus.

(With inputs from agencies)

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