China reports first Covid-19 deaths in more than a year

SHANGHAI • China reported two Covid-19 deaths yesterday, its first in more than a year, underlining the threat posed by an Omicron outbreak that has triggered the country's highest case count since the pandemic's onset.

The National Health Commission said both deaths occurred in Jilin, the north-eastern province which has been hardest hit by a nationwide rise in cases that has prompted lockdowns or tight restrictions in several cities.

The deaths were the first reported in mainland China since January 2021, and bring the country's death toll from the pandemic to 4,638.

The country yesterday reported 2,228 new confirmed coronavirus cases as at Friday, compared with 2,416 a day earlier.

Of the new cases, 2,157 were locally transmitted, compared with 2,388 a day earlier, with 78 per cent reported in Jilin and others found in the south-eastern province of Fujian and the southern province of Guangdong, among others.

The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, stood at 1,823 compared with 1,904 a day earlier.

Beijing's communist leadership has touted the low death rate relative to other countries as evidence of the strength of its one-party governance model.

The two new deaths were buried in the health commission's daily report, and state-controlled media made little mention of them.

Officials in Jilin later said both victims were men aged 65 and 87 years, and both had a range of underlying health problems associated with advanced age.

The coronavirus emerged in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019 but China has largely kept it under control through strict border controls, lengthy quarantines and targeted lockdowns.

But the highly transmissible Omicron variant is posing a challenge to the effectiveness and long-term viability of the government's zero-Covid-19 strategy.

In recent weeks some official sources have suggested that China might at some point need to co-exist with Covid-19 as other countries are doing, warning of the economic impact of mass lockdowns.

President Xi Jinping said last Thursday that China would stick with its zero-Covid-19 strategy but allow for a more "targeted" approach.

While in the past full lockdowns could be expected for any outbreak, the authorities have responded with varying measures to the latest viral spread.

Some cities have been closed off, including the southern tech hub of Shenzhen, home to 17.5 million people. But Shenzhen's measures were partially eased following Mr Xi's comments.

Shanghai, meanwhile, has moved schooling online and rolled out mass testing, but has avoided a full lockdown.

The authorities have said that people with mild cases can isolate at central quarantine facilities, having previously sent all patients with any symptoms to specialist hospitals.

But tens of millions of people remain under stay-at-home orders across the country due to the outbreak.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS