Covid-19: China reports deaths for first time since 2021  

Beijing: China reported its first coronavirus deaths since January 2021 as the omicron variant continued to spread across the country. 

The National Health Commission said in a statement, the two deaths were both reported in Jilin on Friday.

So far, the world’s most-populous nation reported 4,051 new cases on Saturday, down from 4,365 the day before.

China has reported fewer than 5,000 deaths throughout the entire pandemic, with most occurring when the virus first emerged from Wuhan in late 2019. 

Although there have been repeated flareups and outbreaks in China despite the country’s tight curbs— first against the delta variant, then omicron. 

Nearly 90% of China’s 1.4 billion people fully vaccinated and more a third have received booster shots.

Tens of millions of people are currently under stay at home orders across China to try and stamp out the latest outbreak.

The country has largely kept COVID under control following a combination of strict border controls, lengthy quarantines and targeted lockdowns.