China reported its first two deaths from Covid-19 since January 2021, when the Omicron strain caused a strong local outbreak.
On March 18, Jilin province in northeastern China recorded two deaths, according to China’s National Health Commission (NHC). Jilin, one of China’s Covid-19 hotspots, has imposed a “no internal, no foreign entry” lockdown since March 14.
In 2021, China has reported only two deaths from Covid-19, the last recorded on January 25. China reported 2,228 new nCoV cases on March 18, of which 2,157 were community-transmitted cases, of which Jilin cases accounted for 78%.

People take samples for testing in Jilin city, Jilin province, China, on March 9. Photo: AFP.
China has adopted a strict epidemic prevention policy under the “No Covid” strategy, but there are still many outbreaks due to the contagious Omicron strain. Some people get worse but still recover, even those over 60 and those with underlying medical conditions.
China has recorded fewer than 5,000 deaths since the outbreak, most of which occurred during the first wave of Covid-19 in Wuhan in late 2019. Strict restrictions and widespread testing have helped China prevent the spread of Covid-19 by detecting cases early and transferring them to hospitals for treatment, regardless of severity.
Bloomberg Nearly 90 percent of China’s population has been fully immunized, with one-third receiving booster immunizations. Omicron strains spread rapidly but are considered asymptomatic.
Yet Chinese officials and health experts still warn that even the less virulent variants will inevitably lead to death as widespread infection strains the health system.
According to the WorldOmeters real-time update website, China Over 128,000 infections and over 4,600 deaths currently recorded Coronavirus disease.
German and Chinese (according to Bloomberg/Reuters)