Photo/Illutration A woman holding a portrait of her deceased relative waits at a crematorium in Beijing on Dec. 19. (Akihiro Nishiyama)

BEIJING--The death toll believed to be related to the novel coronavirus is rising in China, where new cases are exploding two weeks after the country relaxed its strict “zero-COVID” policy.

Crematoriums are fully booked in Beijing and some people are kept waiting to say a final farewell to their loved ones.

About 10 cars were lined up at the entrance to a crematorium parking lot in eastern Beijing, more than a 20-minute drive from downtown, on the morning of Dec. 19. The 100 parking spaces were already full.

In the parking lot, dozens of relatives and funeral attendees were waiting in sub-zero temperatures.

“My mother died from COVID,” said a man in the parking lot holding a portrait of a gray-haired woman.

The entrance to the crematorium was crowded with people waiting in growing frustration.

“I’ve been waiting for about an hour now,” one said. “When can we go in?”

A funeral home staff member said the crematorium was fully booked and would not be available until Dec. 30. The staff member added the number of bodies brought here over the past week or so has increased more than fivefold.

In some cases in Shanghai, reservations can only be made after Dec. 23.

What is being seen around the country differs from the fatality numbers the health authorities have been announcing.

The Chinese government confirmed five new COVID-19 deaths on Dec. 19, all of which were in the capital.

The death toll had remained at zero for about two weeks until the government reported two fatalities on Dec. 18.

The number of deaths is rising, particularly among the elderly with underlying medical conditions, but the government does not seem to count these as deaths caused by COVID-19.

According to the Chinese media Caixin, the government issued a notice on Dec. 6 limiting the conditions under which a novel coronavirus infection is considered to be a direct cause of death.

Therefore, many cases in which people with pre-existing conditions died after contracting the virus appear to no longer be counted.

A woman residing in Beijing lost her 80-year-old grandmother on Dec. 16.

“She was bedridden and had a few pre-existing conditions, but she was healthy. I never imagined this,” she said.

Her grandmother’s death is believed to be COVID-related, but the authorities reported zero new COVID deaths on the day.

The woman said her grandmother suddenly became unresponsive on Dec. 13, the day after one of her family members was found to be infected with the virus.

The woman had tried to obtain antigen tests, but they were all sold out at pharmacies. She also had tried to call an ambulance, but it never came because of so many people who had already called ahead of her.

“Infections are spreading fast, and there is no way to prevent them, but now I can’t buy medicine or even go to a hospital,” the woman said. “It’s a big mess.”

Another woman living in Beijing said her 69-year-old uncle died on Dec. 12 after contracting COVID-19. She said he suddenly had difficulty breathing and passed away.

“He had diabetes and is believed to have died from complications,” she said. But his death was also not counted as a COVID-related death.

A company employee in his 50s in Beijing also lost his 76-year-old uncle on Dec. 11. He had been recovering at home after being diagnosed with cancer last year, but his condition suddenly worsened after contracting the novel coronavirus.

The employee said there was no time to take his uncle to a hospital before he died at home and he had to wait five days for him to be cremated. He added that his family did not invite any relatives to the funeral to prevent further infections.

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