China reports almost 60,000 COVID-related deaths

By JOE McDONALD
Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — China has reported nearly 60,000 deaths in people who had COVID-19 since early December following complaints it was failing to release data about the status of the pandemic. An official says the “emergency peak” of its latest surge appears to have passed. The death toll included 5,503 deaths due to respiratory failure caused by COVID-19 and 54,435 fatalities from other ailments combined with COVID-19. The National Health Commission said Saturday that those deaths occurred in hospitals, which left open the possibility more people also might have died at home. The report would more than double China’s official COVID-19 death toll to 10,775. A health official says the daily number of patients going to fever clinics has fallen by 83% since late December.