China revealed that 59,938 people died from Covid-19 in the first month since the country opened their borders and lifted restrictions. The National Health Commission announced this data, which, according to EFE would correspond to the number of deaths between December 8 and January 12. This news comes after weeks of pressure from the World Health Organization, which called for transparency and accused China of underrepresenting the impact of the virus. This accusation has been confirmed by recent data.
In early December, China put an end to its three year zero-Covid policy. Up to that time, it recognized slightly more than 5,000 deaths. This figure didn’t line up with the images that went viral around the world of full morgues and hospitals that were completely saturated.
Older people have been the most affected by the new outbreak
Of the death toll now being reported by Beijing, they claim that one in ten deaths are a result of respiratory failure caused by the Covid-19 infection and the remaining 90%, more than 50,000, are linked to people with pre-existing conditions which, similarly to many patients in the rest of the world, worsened when they became infected.
In addition, as reported by the Global Times, Commission officials confirmed that the average age of the deceased is 80.3 years, assuring that the disease poses a serious risk, mainly to the elderly. This data is reaffirmed by the fact that 90.1% of those who died were over 65 years of age.
The National Health Commission also wanted to reassure the rest of the countries that are living in fear of the new Chinese outbreak and that, as a preventive measure, they have started to restrict tourists coming from cities such as Beijing. To this end, health authorities confirmed that China surpassed their peak on January 5. On that day, 128,000 severe cases were reported, a figure that dropped to 105,000 on January 12.
Lack of Covid-19 medicine worries Chinese population
However, the Chinese population continues to be concerned about this new outbreak. People like Beijing event organizer Jo Wang had to break the rules to protect their loved ones. She told CNN how she tried to protect her grandmother as she watched family members, little by little, catch Covid-19.
After three days of unsuccessfully trying to purchase a box of Pfizer-branded Paxlovid, Wang found the drug on an e-commerce platform. She bought it after four days of searching and received it in the mail two days later. However, she feels guilty about breaking the rules by seeking treatment simply to be prepared in case her 92-year-old grandmother becomes ill:
I felt really bad at that time... you don't know how many days it will take to buy this medicine, it is completely unknown. And you don't know hoy long the people in your family can hold on. It's a very desesperate situation.
She is not the only case. Many Chinese citizens resorted to the black market to get their hands on this drug. According to CNN, the situation worsened when the Chinese government announced that it had failed to reach an agreement with Pfizer to include Paxlovid in its national insurance plan because the company was asking too high a price for the drug.
This situation could mean that, by the end of March, this treatment will only be available in China to citizens who can afford the drug without a prescription. Each box of Paxlovid costs 1,900 yuan (about $280). Many Chinese citizens will not be able to afford it.
