China announces that the number of deaths from the new coronavirus infection in June has increased significantly to 239 | Wagon Radio 720

BEIJING (AP) – China reported Thursday that 239 people died from the novel coronavirus in June after lifting most of its containment measures, a sharp increase in months.

The Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 164 deaths in May, but no deaths in April and March.

China began adopting a “zero-coronavirus” containment strategy in early 2020, crediting strict lockdowns, quarantines, border closures, and mandatory mass inspections with significant life savings.

But the measures were abruptly lifted in December with little preparation, leading to a final surge that claimed about 60,000 deaths, according to official figures. The death toll this year peaked in January and February, peaking at 4,273 on January 4, but then declined gradually, dropping to zero on February 23, according to China’s CDC. became.

Chinese health officials did not say whether they expected the trend to continue or whether they would recommend a return to preventive measures.

Two of the deaths in June were due to respiratory failure due to infections, but the CDC said the remaining deaths had underlying medical conditions. These may include diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and other chronic conditions.

From January 3, 2020 to July 5, 2023, China reported 99,292,081 new coronavirus infections and 121,490 deaths to the World Health Organization.

Experts estimate that hundreds of thousands, possibly more, may have died in China. This is far higher than the official number of deaths, but the death rate is still considerably lower than in the US and Europe.