On Wednesday, dozens of elderly patients in critical condition being wheeled into crowded wards in Zhuozhou, in China’s industrial Hebei province. China reported no new COVID-19 deaths and subtracted one from its overall toll, lowering it to 5,241, according to the National Health Commission. The clarification of how China officially records COVID-19 deaths comes as cases have soared across the country amid the loosening of restrictions. China has always been conservative in how it counts illnesses, whether the flu or COVID-19. Its guidelines deferring from other countries.