Travellers ride on the escalator at the West Railway Station in Beijing. AP Photo
Travellers ride on the escalator at the West Railway Station in Beijing. AP Photo
Travellers ride on the escalator at the West Railway Station in Beijing. AP Photo
Travellers ride on the escalator at the West Railway Station in Beijing. AP Photo

World

China reports 60,000 Covid-related deaths since early December

The toll is the first to be released since Beijing begin dismantling strict controls to contain the spread of infections

The National

January 15, 2023

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China recorded nearly 60,000 coronavirus-related deaths since restrictions were lifted in early December, the national health authority said after repeated requests from the World Health Organisation for updates on its pandemic situation.

The update follows reports of overcrowded hospitals and packed crematoriums in past weeks, even as the government released little data about the status of the outbreak.

The numbers released on Saturday by the National Health Commission may still understate the toll, although the government said the “emergency peak” of its latest surge appears to have passed.

The toll includes 5,503 deaths from respiratory failure caused by Covid-19 and 54,435 fatalities from other ailments combined with Covid-19 since December 8, the commission said. It said the deaths occurred in hospitals, which means that Covid-19 patients who died at home were not included in the numbers.

The WHO said it was analysing the latest data but urged China to share more detailed information, including on sub-variants circulating throughout the nation.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reiterated the importance of China’s greater co-operation and transparency in talks with NHC director Ma Xiaowei, according to a statement on Saturday.

The update more than doubles China’s official Covid-19 death toll to 10,775 since the disease was first detected in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019. China has counted only deaths from pneumonia or respiratory failure in its official Covid-19 death toll, a narrow definition that excludes many deaths that would be attributed to the virus in much of the world.

China stopped reporting data on Covid-19 deaths and infections after abruptly lifting anti-virus controls in early December following protests against the government's strict lockdown and testing regime. Hospitals across the country have since been overwhelmed with patients, and funeral homes and crematoriums have struggled to handle the dead.

People stand outside a funeral home in Shanghai, as cases of Covid-19 surge in China. Reuters
People stand outside a funeral home in Shanghai, as cases of Covid-19 surge in China. Reuters
Relatives burn paper offerings for a relative who died, at the Gaobeidian Funeral Home in northern China's Hebei province. AP
Relatives burn paper offerings for a relative who died, at the Gaobeidian Funeral Home in northern China's Hebei province. AP
A worker disinfects a bed in the emergency department of a hospital in Baigou, Hebei province. AP
A worker disinfects a bed in the emergency department of a hospital in Baigou, Hebei province. AP
Cities across the country have struggled to cope as the surge in cases has emptied pharmacy shelves, filled hospital wards and appeared to cause backlogs at crematoriums and funeral homes. AP
Cities across the country have struggled to cope as the surge in cases has emptied pharmacy shelves, filled hospital wards and appeared to cause backlogs at crematoriums and funeral homes. AP
It comes after China dismantled key pillars of its zero-Covid strategy. AP
It comes after China dismantled key pillars of its zero-Covid strategy. AP
Authorities have lifted snap lockdowns, lengthy quarantines and travel curbs in a reversal of the country's hallmark containment strategy. Reuters
Authorities have lifted snap lockdowns, lengthy quarantines and travel curbs in a reversal of the country's hallmark containment strategy. Reuters
Relatives attend to a patient. AP
Relatives attend to a patient. AP
People wait outside a fever clinic at a hospital in Shanghai. Reuters
People wait outside a fever clinic at a hospital in Shanghai. Reuters

The WHO and governments appealed for information after reports by city and provincial governments suggested as many as hundreds of millions of people in China might have contracted the virus.

Infection numbers now appear to be falling based on a decline in the number of patients visiting fever clinics, NHC official Jiao Yahui said.

The daily number of people going to those clinics peaked at 2.9 million on December 23 and had fallen by 83 per cent to to 477,000 on Thursday, according to Ms Jiao.

“These data show the national emergency peak has passed,” she said at a news conference.

However, an expected surge in travel ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday beginning on January 21, when hundreds of millions of people return home from cities to small towns and rural areas, has fuelled worries about more infections.

For nearly three years, China had kept its infection rate and deaths far lower than those of the US and some other countries at the height of the pandemic with a “zero-Covid” strategy that aimed to isolate every case. That shut down access to some cities, kept millions of people at home and sparked angry protests.

Those rules were suddenly eased in early December after some of the largest shows of public dissent against the ruling Communist Party in more than 30 years. That set off new problems in a country that relies on domestically developed vaccines that are less reliable than others used globally, and where older people — those more susceptible to dying from the virus — are less likely to be vaccinated than the general population.

The Health Commission said the average age of people who died since December 8 was 80.3 years, and 90.1 per cent were over 65. More than 90 per cent of people who died had cancer, heart or lung diseases or kidney problems, it 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,” Ms Jiao said.

The US, South Korea, Japan, India and several other countries in Europe and the Middle East have imposed virus testing and other controls on people arriving from China. Beijing responded on Wednesday by suspending the issue of new visas to travellers from South Korea and Japan.

With reporting from agencies

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TO ALL THE BOYS: ALWAYS AND FOREVER

Directed by: Michael Fimognari

Starring: Lana Condor and Noah Centineo

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Red flags
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Date started: 2012

Founder: Amir Barsoum

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: HealthTech / MedTech

Size: 300 employees

Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)

Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC

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Russell 37 no, Billings 35 no

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Team Abu Dhabi win by six wickets

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Name: Airev
Started: September 2023
Founder: Muhammad Khalid
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Generative AI
Initial investment: Undisclosed
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Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
 
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Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana

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1. Henri Schoeman (RSA) 57:03
2. Mario Mola (ESP) 57:09
3. Vincent Luis (FRA) 57:25
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The Voice of Hind Rajab

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Director: Kaouther Ben Hania

Rating: 4/5

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

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The Perfect Couple

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor

Creator: Jenna Lamia

Rating: 3/5

'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse Of Madness' 

   

 

Director: Sam Raimi

 

Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg and Rachel McAdams

 

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The specs
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

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How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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Results
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Fixture
Friday, March 29, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons, The Sevens, Dubai

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Updated: January 15, 2023, 12:54 PM`