BEIJING: The possibility of a major resurgence of Covid-19 in China in the next two to three months is slim as 80% of people have been infected, a top government scientist said on Saturday.
The mass movement of people during the ongoing Lunar New Year may spread the pandemic and strengthen infections in some areas, but a second wave of Covid is unlikely in the near term, Wu Zunyou, a senior epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said on the Weibo social media platform.
Hundreds of millions of Chinese are traveling across the country for holiday gatherings that have been suspended due to recently eased Covid restrictions, raising fears of new outbreaks in rural areas that are less equipped to handle large outbreaks.
China has surpassed the maximum number of Covid patients in fever clinics, emergency rooms and critical conditions, a National Health Commission official said on Thursday.
Nearly 60,000 people with Covid had died in hospital as of January 12, about a month after China abruptly scrapped its zero-Covid policy, according to government figures.
But some experts said the figure likely greatly underestimates the total impact because it does not include those who die at home and because many doctors have said they are discouraged from citing Covid as a cause of death.