China links Covid to 60,000 recent deaths

Health workers attend to Covid-19 patients in an intensive care unit converted from a conference room, at a hospital in Cangzhou in Hebei province of China on Jan 11. (China Daily via Reuters)

BEIJING: Chinese health authorities on Saturday reported almost 60,000 Covid-related deaths in just over a month, in the first major update released by the government since the loosening of its virus restrictions in early December.

The country recorded 59,938 Covid-related deaths between Dec 8, 2022 and Jan 12 this year, Jiao Yahui, head of the Bureau of Medical Administration under the National Health Commission, told a news conference.