Mainlandrecordedatollof59,938athospitalsbetweenDec8andJan12

Chinawillcontinuetostrengthentreatmentofseverecasesandcountfatalitiesinascientificandfact-basedmanner,astheChinesemainlandrecordedabout60,000COVID-relateddeathsathospitalssincetheoptimizationofitsviruscontrolstrategyonDec8,aseniorhealthofficialsaidonSaturday.

JiaoYahui,headoftheNationalHealthCommission"smedicaladministrationbureau,saidthat59,938deathsassociatedwithCOVID-19werereportedathospitalsacrossthemainlandbetweenDec8andThursday.

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Ofthesedeaths,5,503werecausedbyrespiratoryfailureduetoCOVID-19,andtheremainderresultedfromacombinationoftheinfectionandpreexistingillnesses,shesaidatanewsbriefingonSaturday.

Jiaoaddedthattheaverageageofpatientswhodiedwas80.3years,andover90percentofthemhadunderlyingconditionssuchascardiovascularormetabolicdiseases,late-stagetumorsorkidneyfailure.

"Winterisalsothepeakseasonofrespiratoryandcardiovasculardiseasesamongtheelderly.WiththespreadofCOVID-19,thenumberofelderlydeathsisrelativelyhigh,andweareattachinggreatersignificancetoprotectingelderlypatientsandsavingtheirlives,"shesaid.

OnDec7,Chinaannouncedthatitwasupgradingitscoronaviruscontrolmeasuresbyallowingasymptomaticpatientsandthosewithmildinfectionstoquarantineathomeandwasscrappingmassnucleicacidtesting.

OnJan8,themanagementofthediseasewasdowngradedtoClassBfromClassA,andthequarantineandtestingrequirementsforinboundtravelerswerelifted.

Forscientificandfact-baseddeathcounts,JiaosaidthatanationalplatformaimedatcollectingandanalyzingdeathslinkedtoCOVID-19wasestablished.StartingonDec31,medicalinstitutionsacrossthecountrywererequiredtoreportrelateddeathsforthepreviousdaytotheplatform.Inaddition,theywereaskedtogatherandsubmitinformationonCOVID-relateddeathsfromDec8to29.

"Astheamountofdataandinformationwasmassiveandwewerestrivingtocountthenumberofdeathsinascientific,objectiveandresponsiblemanner,ittookusarelativelylongperiodoftimetoconsultexpertsandanalyzethecausesbehindthedeaths,"theseniorhealthofficialsaid.

Sincetheinitialphaseoftheepidemic,ChinahasbeencountingthedeathsofpatientswhosenucleicacidtestresultswerepositiveasCOVID-19relateddeaths,Jiaosaid.Thecriterion,shesaid,isbasicallyinlinewithstandardsadoptedbytheWorldHealthOrganizationandmajorcountries.

Accordingtodatareleasedduringthenewsbriefing,thenumbersofpatientsvisitingfeverclinics,needingemergencycareandbeinghospitalizedhadreachedtheirpeaksandwerenowdeclining.

WhilethenumberofsevereCOVID-19casesathospitalshasbeenslowlydecliningsinceJan5,thefigureisstillonthehighersideataround105,000asofThursday,Jiaosaid.

Theoccupancyrateofcritical-carebedswas75.3percentonThursday,lowerthanthealarmingthresholdof80percent."Thecountry"scapacityofcritical-carebedscanmeetdemands,"shesaid.

AstripsmadebymigrantworkersduringtheSpringFestivalholidayhavetriggeredconcernsoverthemedicalcapacityinruralareas,Jiaosaidthecountryisbeefingupitsstockofdrugs,oxygencylinders,pulseoximetersandothermedicalequipmentatgrassrootshealthclinics.

"County-levelauthoritiesarerequiredtosetupataskforcededicatedtotransferringseverecasestohigher-levelhospitals,andeachtownship-levelhealthclinicmusthaveanambulance,"shesaid.

Jiaoaddedthatprogressisbeingmadeinbuildinginventoriesofantiviralpillsandstrengtheningtreatmentcapabilitiesatgrassrootshealthclinics.

OnSaturday,HealthMinisterMaXiaoweispokebytelephonewithWHODirector-GeneralTedrosAdhanomGhebreyesus,duringwhichtheyexchangedviewsonthecurrentviruscontrolwork,accordingtoastatementreleasedbytheNationalHealthCommission.

ChinahasengagedinmultipletechnicalbriefingswiththeWHOsinceadjustmentsweremadetoitsviruscontrolpolicyandwillcontinuetounitewiththeinternationalcommunitytofightthedisease,Masaid.

HeaddedthatChinahasbeensharinginformationwiththeWHOandothercountriessincetheearlyphaseoftheepidemic,andwasthefirsttoidentifythepathogencausingthediseaseandshareitsgenomesequencewiththeworld.

TedrossaidhehighlyappreciatedtheChinesegovernment"seffortsinhandlingtheepidemic,andthankedthecountryforconductinglong-termexchangesandsharingepidemicinformationwiththeWHO.

Theyagreedtostrengthentheirtechnicalcommunicationandjoineffortstosafeguardglobalhealth.