On Monday China officially reported its first COVID-related deaths since the government began scrapping strict anti-virus controls earlier this month.
Though the National Health Commission only declared two deaths, they were the first reported since early December - and fed into worries this could be the start of a grim trend as the virus rips through the country.
In the capital Beijing, funeral home workers told Reuters they’ve become busier than usual.
Locals said there’s been a rise in demand for cremations, and hearses could be seen packing out a crematorium parking lot on Sunday. However, Reuters could not immediately establish if these deaths were due to COVID-19. For now, residents appear not too worried despite the surge in infections.
“It can't be avoided. If you get it, you get it. If you're infected, it depends on the individual's health whether you are well or not. We try as far as it's possible to not spread it to the elderly and children. That's all I can say.”
Officially China has suffered less than 5,240 COVID-linked deaths over the pandemic, a tiny fraction of its 1.4 billion population and very low by global standards.
The National Health Commission did not immediately respond to Reuters’ questions on the accuracy of its data.
As the country struggles to reopen amidst a surge of infections, authorities scaled up door-to-door COVID shots for the elderly.
State media CCTV on Sunday showed footage of health workers vaccinating senior citizens in their homes in Sichuan and Guizhou provinces.
Officially, China's vaccination rate is above 90%, but the rate for boostered adults drops to under 58%, according to government data.
With COVID curbs lifted, health experts warn the country could be left with over 1.5 million deaths from the virus.
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