Keep info flowing, urges WHO after China releases COVID death toll

With China on Saturday announcing nearly 60,000 COVID-19 deaths since early December, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has appealed to the country to keep releasing information.

Saturday’s announcement was the first official death toll since the Chinese government abruptly withdrew anti-Covid restrictions in December despite a surge in infections.

The WHO and other governments kept appealing for information for weeks, while the US, South Korea, and others imposed controls on visitors from China.

The Chinese government has said 5,503 people died of respiratory failure caused by COVID-19, while there were 54,435 fatalities from cancer, heart disease, and other ailments combined with COVID-19 between December 8 and January 12.

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The announcement allows for a better understanding of the epidemiological situation, said a WHO statement. It said the WHO director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, talked by phone with Chinese Health Minister Ma Xiaowei.

WHO has requested such detailed information to be continued to be shared with the agency and the public, it said.

Only hospital deaths counted

The National Health Commission said only deaths in hospitals were counted, which means anyone who died at home would not be included. It gave no indication when or whether it might release updated numbers.

A health official said the national emergency peak has passed, based on an 83 per cent decline in the number of people going to fever clinics daily from a December 23 high.

The report more than doubles China’s official COVID-19 death toll to 10,775. China has counted only deaths from pneumonia or respiratory failure in its official toll, which excludes many fatalities that might be attributed to the virus in other countries. Its official toll stood at 5,272 on January 8.

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Meanwhile, high-speed train service resumed Sunday between China’s mainland and Hong Kong under restrictions that allow 5,000 passengers from each side to make the trip daily and require a negative virus test within the previous 48 hours.

The two sides are reopening travel links that were suspended under Beijing’s zero-COVID strategy, which aimed to keep the virus out of China. Hong Kong imposed different but similarly severe restrictions that blocked most international travel.

(With agency inputs)