BEIJING – China recorded its first COVID-related deaths in weeks on Monday after the government relaxed rigorous anti-virus controls.
However, there are growing concerns that the official total may not fully reflect the severity of the sickness that is ravaging urban areas.
The two fatalities on Monday were the first confirmed by the National Health Commission (NHC) since December 3, just days before Beijing declared it was removing restrictions that had mostly kept the virus in control for three years but had sparked large-scale demonstrations last month.
The low mortality toll following the lifting of the limitations on December 7 is in contrast to what other nations have seen following similar actions.
Including the most recent two fatalities, China has officially reported only 5,237 COVID-related deaths during the epidemic, a negligible portion of its 1.4 billion population.
However, medical professionals have warned that China may pay a price for adopting such severe measures to protect a populace that currently lacks COVID-19 natural immunity and has poor vaccination rates among the elderly.
In most cities, a number of people including foreigners have experienced severe COVID-19 symptoms in recent days including sore throats, severe headache, nausea and other pains.
Due to the surge in cases, most people began to buy painkilling drugs in bulk which has seen other pharmacies face drug shortages in recent days.
