China says COVID-19 outbreak has infected 80% of population

China says COVID-19 outbreak has infected 80% of population

A patient lies on a bed at the emergency department of a hospital, amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai, China Jan 17, 2023. (File photo: Reuters/Staff)

CHANNEL NEWS ASIA

21 Jan 2023 06:25PM

BEIJING: The possibility of a big COVID-19 rebound in China over the next two or three months is remote as 80 per cent of people have been infected, a prominent government scientist said on Saturday (Jan 21).

The mass movement of people during the ongoing Chinese New Year holiday period may spread the pandemic, boosting infections in some areas, but a second COVID-19 wave is unlikely in the near term, Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said on the Weibo social media platform.

Hundreds of millions of Chinese are travelling across the country for holiday reunions that had been suspended under recently eased COVID-19 curbs, raising fears of fresh outbreaks in rural areas less equipped to manage large outbreaks.

China has passed the peak of COVID-19 patients in fever clinics, emergency rooms and with critical conditions, a National Health Commission official said on Thursday.

Nearly 60,000 people with COVID-19 had died in hospital as of Jan 12, roughly a month after China abruptly dismantled its zero-COVID policy, according to government data.

But some experts said that figure probably vastly undercounts the full impact, as it excludes those who die at home, and because many doctors have said they are discouraged from citing COVID-19 as a cause of death.