Covid-19 in China: 2 Covid-19 deaths, first in more than one year

Beijing/New Delhi: China on Saturday reported its first death due to Covid-19 since January 2021, the country's national health authorities said.

The deaths, both in northeastern Jilin province, took China's coronavirus death toll to 4,638.

As the country battles an omicron-driven surge, China reported 2,157 new COVID-19 cases from community transmission on Saturday, with the majority in Jilin. The province has instituted a travel ban, with people needing permission from police to travel across borders.

Since the pandemic began in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019, China has recorded 4,636 deaths. It revised its death toll once in April 2020, adding in new deaths that were not initially counted as the pandemic overwhelmed the city's hospitals and other systems. AP