BEIJING (AP) – China announced its first new death from COVID-19 in nearly half a year as strict new measures are imposed in Beijing and across the country to ward against new outbreaks.
The death of the 87-year-old Beijing man was the first reported by the National Health Commission since May 26, bringing the total death toll to 5,227. The previous death was reported in Shanghai, which underwent a major springtime surge in cases. China announced yesterday 24,215 new cases detected over the previous 24 hours, the vast majority of them asymptomatic.
While China has an overall vaccination rate of more than 92 per cent having received at least one dose, that number is considerably lower among the elderly where it falls to just 65 per cent. That vulnerability is considered one reason why China has mostly kept its borders closed and sticking with its “zero-COVID” policy.
