China reports first Covid death since May

Beijing: China reported the death of an 87-year-old man in Beijing on Sunday as its first fatality from Covid-19 in six months, with cases rising despite a stringent zero-Covid policy.

The last major economy still welded to a no-tolerance policy on the virus, China has enforced snap lockdowns, mass testing and quarantines even as the rest of the world adjusts to living with Covid. Municipal officials announced on Sunday the 87-year-old man had died in the capital. They also said 621 new local cases had been detected in Beijing.