2 new COVID deaths reported as some restrictions eased

HONG KONG — China on Sunday reported two additional deaths from COVID-19 as some cities move cautiously to ease antipandemic restrictions amid increasingly vocal public frustration over the measures.

The National Health Commission said one death was reported each in the provinces of Shandong and Sichuan. No information was given about the ages of the victims or whether they had been fully vaccinated.

China, where the virus first was detected in late 2019 in the central city of Wuhan, is the last major country trying to stop transmission completely through quarantines, lockdowns and mass testing. Concerns over vaccination rates are believed to figure prominently in the ruling Communist Party’s determination to stick to its hardline strategy.

While nine in 10 Chinese have been vaccinated, only 66 percent of people over 80 have gotten one shot, while 40 percent have received a booster, according to the commission. It said 86 percent of people over 60 are vaccinated.

Given those figures and the fact that relatively few Chinese have been built up antibodies by being exposed to the virus, some fear millions could die if restrictions were lifted entirely.