Covid-19 in China: Nearly 13,000 people die in hospital in a week

China on Saturday reported nearly 13,000 Covid-19-related deaths in hospital between Jan. 13 and Jan. 19. A senior health official also said that the vast majority of the population is already infected.

A press release from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) clarified that during this period, 681 patients died in hospitals from respiratory failure caused by Covid-19, and 11,977 other diseases in combination with the virus. This data does not include those who have died from the coronavirus at home.

In mid-January, more than a month after the lifting of health restrictions, China reported approximately 60,000 Covid-19-related deaths in healthcare facilities across the country between December 8, 2022 and January 12, 2023. This the balance is considered underestimated due to reduced control.

China’s daily death toll from Covid-19 is expected to rise to around 36,000 during the Lunar New Year, according to British medical analytics firm Airfinity. Airfinity estimates that more than 600,000 people have died from the disease since China lifted restrictions in December.

80% of the country’s population would be infected

In recent days, tens of millions of Chinese have traveled across the country to reunite with family for New Year’s celebrations this Sunday, raising concerns about the risk of another explosion in infections. Chinese transport authorities predict that more than two billion trips will be made by February.

President Xi Jinping on Wednesday expressed concern about the spread of the virus in rural areas, many of which lack medicines and other medical resources. But while population movements may facilitate transmission, “the current wave of the epidemic has already infected about 80% of the country’s population,” said CDC chief epidemiologist Wu Zunyu.

According to him, “in the short term, for example, in the next two to three months, the likelihood (…) of a second wave of the epidemic in the country is very small.” On Thursday, National Health Commission spokesman Guo Yanhong said China had passed the peak of hospitalization of Covid-19 patients in specialized fever clinics and emergency rooms, including for critically ill patients.