China’s Covid toll a concern for the world, says US State Department

China records five more pandemic related deaths, with the total toll touching 5,242

The United States expressed concern over the Covid-19 outbreak in China, as the country recorded five more pandemic-related deaths on Tuesday.

The toll of the virus will affect the “rest of the world due to the size of China’s economy”, said US State Department spokesperson Ned Price during a press briefing yesterday. "It’s not only good for China to be in a stronger position vis-a-vis Covid but it’s good for the rest of the world as well," he added.

He also raised concerns around the mutation of the virus, saying: "We’ve seen that over the course of many different permutations of this virus and certainly another reason why we are so focused on helping countries around the world address Covid.”