New Delhi: China has reported its first Covid-19 deaths in over a year, the country's National Health Commission confirmed on Saturday (March 19, 2022). The deaths, both in northeastern Jilin province, has taken China's coronavirus death toll to 4,638. The country had reported two deaths for the whole of 2021, with the last one logged on January 25.
China, which is witnessing a record surge in Covid-19 cases, reported 2,157 new infections from community transmission on Saturday, with the majority in Jilin. The province, notably, has instituted a travel ban, with people needing permission from the police to travel across borders.
China has now reported more local symptomatic Covid-19 cases so far this year than it recorded in all of 2021. Since the pandemic began in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019, China has so far confirmed over 1,28,400 cases.
Significantly, China is experiencing its biggest spikes in coronavirus cases in recent weeks just as the rest of the world is opening up with a drastic fall of infections.
China to stick with 'dynamic zero-Covid' policy
China on Friday had ruled out relaxing its much-criticised "dynamic zero-Covid" policy of restricting international travel and minimising contacts with the outside world.
China will adhere to its "dynamic zero-Covid" policy to contain its current outbreak, Wang Hesheng, vice-minister of the National Health Commission and administrator of the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration told the media.
The goal of the 'Zero case policy' approach is to bring the epidemic under control in the shortest possible time with minimum cost to society, he added.
Under this policy, China has drastically cut international travel which has affected several lakhs of international students, including over 23,000 Indian students, mostly studying medicine who are stuck in India following the cancellation of visas and flights.
The recent record surge has also forced the authorities to put at least 10 cities and counties under Covid-19 lockdown, including the tech hub of Shenzhen, which is home to over 17 million people.
(With agency inputs)
