Virus claims 2 lives as ‘zero-COVID’ policy falls apart in China

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – China on Monday said two people died in the capital Beijing due to COVID-19 as infections surge.

National Health Commission (NHC) said in a statement that the two deceased were indigenous cases in Beijing who died on Sunday.

China reported 1995 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus on Sunday, the NHC said.

The fresh deaths due to COVID-19 came after China relaxed its ‘zero-COVID' policy, allowing reopening and normal public life.

China reported the first COVID-19 death last month in Beijing since May 26 this year.

The shift in policy managing the coronavirus came after authorities faced rare yet unprecedented demonstrations in many regions last month against strict lockdowns and centrally coordinated quarantine policy.

China has reported 339,885 COVID-19 cases since December 2019, including 5,237 deaths.

The NHC has also stopped releasing statistics on COVID-19 asymptomatic cases while top Chinese authorities have said their priority has shifted from preventing infections to medical treatment.