China has reported it first COVID-19-related deaths in more than a year.
The two deaths were recorded in Jilin, a northeastern province.
China is battling a surge of coronavirus infections.
The new wave of cases has resulted in Chinese health officials tightening COVID-19-related restrictions, at a time when many Western countries are lifting COVID-19 mandates.
The coronavirus emerged in China’s Wuhan province more than two years ago.
Meanwhile, health officials in Hong Kong say the number of COVID-19 cases there has now exceeded a million. On Friday, Hong Kong reported it had recorded 20,082 new infections and 206 new deaths.
The European Center for Disease Control and Prevention is urging countries that have received displaced people from Ukraine to make COVID-19 testing and vaccination a priority at reception centers.
“While vaccination for COVID-19 remains the most essential intervention to prevent hospitalization and death, many of the people fleeing Ukraine are expected to not be fully vaccinated against COVID-19,” the center said in a statement Friday.
The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reported early Saturday that it has recorded more than 468 million global COVID infections and more than 6 million deaths. Johns Hopkins said nearly 11 billion vaccines have been administered.