China reports about 60,000 COVID-related deaths amid int'l criticism

Chinese health authorities reported Saturday nearly 60,000 deaths related to COVID-19 in just over a month, amid growing international criticism that Beijing's official data do not reflect the reality on the ground.Between Dec. 8 last year and Thursday, the COVID-related death toll reached 59,938, according to China's National Health Commission. Beijing significantly relaxed its antivirus measures on Dec. 7, in an abrupt departure from its "zero-COVID" policy involving lockdowns and isolation measures.The newly released death toll does not include those who died at home. On average, the dai…READ FULL ARTICLE