The Chinese Cabinet’s National Health Commission (NHC) announced Jan. 14 that there were 59,938 Covid-linked deaths in China from Dec. 8 through Jan. 12. Of that total, 5,503 people died from respiratory failure caused directly by the virus ("of Covid"), whereas over 90% of the 59,938 Covid-linked deaths occurred among people with underlying ailments, such as cancer or heart disease ("with Covid). The average age of the deceased was 80.3 years old, according to the NHC, likely a reflection of the relatively low vaccination rate among China’s elderly.
The NHC said that China’s method of reporting is now the same as that of the World Health Organization. Although the number of deaths is expected to rise, the NHC was hopeful that the peak of the current surge has passed, since the number of critically ill Covid-19 patients in hospitals as of Jan. 12 was down 18% from a week earlier, and traffic at the outpatient fever clinics has “basically” returned to pre-surge levels.