Funeral homes and crematoriums busy amid Covid-hit Beijing
Mourners were seen at a funeral home in Beijing on Monday as the city battles a continuing wave of Covid-19 infections amid the easing of curbs.
Hearses were also seen queueing at a crematorium in the Chinese capital on Sunday. Reuters could not immediately establish if the deaths and increased demand for cremation were due to Covid-19.
“After you're infected, it depends on the individual's health to decide if you are well or not. We try as far as it's possible to not spread it to the elderly and children,” one Beijing resident told Reuters.
China reported two new Covid-19 deaths for Sunday, compared with none the previous day, increasing the nation's fatalities to 5,237, the National Health Commission said on Monday.
China carries out door-to-door Covid vaccinations for elderly
Chinese authorities scaled up door-to-door vaccinations for the elderly, as the country struggles to reopen amidst a surge of Covid-19 cases, state media reported on Sunday.
Vaccinating the vulnerable has long been seen as a crucial requirement in China's plans to open up after disruptive and economically damaging zero-Covid restrictions.
Officially, China's vaccination rate is above 90%, but the rate for bolstered adults drops to 57.9%, and to 42.3% for people aged 80 and above, according to government data, prompting warnings that the country could see over 1.5 million deaths after lifting curbs such as lockdowns and mass testing that held most virus spread at bay.
State broadcaster CCTV showed footage of health workers administering vaccine doses to the elderly at their homes in parts of southwest Sichuan and Guizhou provinces.
Chinese cities close schools and set up makeshift clinics
Major Chinese cities remained quiet on Monday as people stayed home to protect themselves from a surge in Covid-19 cases that have resulted in two deaths.
In Shanghai, traffic was sparse and schools were closed after authorities said most classes should be online. Beijing's Guang'an Gymnasium had also been converted into a makeshift fever clinic, housing blue tents where people sought treatment for their symptoms.
China reported its first Covid-related deaths in weeks amid rising doubts over whether the official count was capturing the full toll of a disease that is ripping through cities after the government relaxed strict anti-virus controls.
Monday's two deaths were the first to be reported by the National Health Commission (NHC) since Dec. 3, days before Beijing announced that it was lifting curbs which had largely kept the virus in check for three years but triggered widespread protests last month.
