China’s announcement that it had almost 60,000 COVID-19-related deaths in a month has spurred new calls for the government to provide more data about the wave of infections that is sweeping the country.
The country’s National Health Commission said on Saturday that 59,938 people died at hospitals from COVID-19-related causes between Dec. 8 and Jan. 12. The World Health Organization said it is analyzing the latest data but urged China to share more detailed information, including on sub-variants circulating throughout the nation.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reiterated the importance of China’s deeper cooperation and transparency in talks with NHC Director Ma Xiaowei, according to a statement on Saturday.