A wave of COVID-19-related deaths has been occurring in China since December, when the country implemented “zero COVID” measures, closed testing facilities and eased other pandemic restrictions, researchers say.

Still, China maintains 83,150 persons died as of February 9, a figure that might have been downplayed to conceal the actual deaths estimated to be between one million and 1.5 million.

The official figures only included deaths recorded in hospitals and left out patients who died in their homes.

The researchers, however, told The New York Times that their estimates were only “informed guesses” and may not be 100 per cent accurate.

China’s concealment of the actual COVID-19 death toll is vital to world politics since Chinese officials have long taken credit for containing the deadly coronavirus in the early months of the pandemic, when death tolls spiked across other nations of the world. 

China’s leader, Xi Jinping, believes that his country’s stringent restrictions to prevent the virus’ spread, evidenced China’s superiority over Western nations, a belief that is now being challenged by the wave of fatalities that has rocked the country over the past two months.

According to the official death toll figures, China would hold the record of having experienced the fewest fatalities over the whole pandemic. 

Whereas, the researchers’ projected death toll would mean China has exceeded the deaths recorded in many Asian nations where Covid-19 restrictions were less strict and quickly lifted.