China announced today, Sunday, its first new death from COVID-19 in nearly half a year as new strict measures were imposed in Beijing and across the country to prevent the spread of the new outbreak.

The death of an 87-year-old man from Beijing was the first reported death by the National Health Commission since May 26, raising the total number of deaths to 5,227. The previous death was reported in Shanghai, which saw a significant increase in cases in the spring.

China also announced on Sunday 24,215 new cases detected in the past 24 hours, the vast majority of which were asymptomatic.

While the overall vaccination rate in China exceeds 92% after receiving at least one dose, this figure is much lower among the elderly - especially those over 80 years old - where it drops to only 65%. The commission did not mention details about the vaccination status of the deceased.

This vulnerability is one of the reasons that made China keep its borders mostly closed and stick to its strict "zero COVID" policy that seeks to eliminate infections through lockdowns, quarantines, case tracking, and mass testing, despite the impact on normal life, the economy, and increasing popular anger towards the authorities.

Likewise, China said its strict approach has paid off in much lower numbers of cases and deaths than in other countries, such as the United States.