According to a post on the National Health Commissions website, on Saturday mainland China reported its first COVID-19 deaths in more than a year. 

Two fatalities were reported from the northeastern region of Jilin province, which borders North Korea and Russia, and accounted for over two-thirds of domestic infections in the ongoing wave. One of the deceased was aged 87 years while the other was aged 60. The cause of the death was their underlying diseases while they had only mild COVID symptoms. 

Around 30,000 people were hospitalized in China due to COVID, of which more than 95% had mild or no symptoms. The latest deaths toll in the country was 4,638.

China has been maintaining a "dynamic clearance" approach which uses stringent measures to stop the transmission as soon as possible, and includes short and targeted shutdowns and quick testing schemes where cases are detected. (Reuters, March 19, 2022)