NEWS DESK
BEIJING: A top Chinese health expert, Wu Zunyou, predicted that China would face three winter waves of Covid-19 infections, saying it was experiencing the first.
China is seeing a spike in cases since relaxing and lifting its most severe restrictions earlier this month. However, the latest official figures show a relatively low number of new daily cases.
But experts have warned that these low numbers are underestimated due to a reduction in testing. On Sunday, the government reported only 2097 new daily cases.
Epidemiologist Wu Zunyou said the current surge in Covid-19 infections would run until mid-January. The second wave would then be started by mass travel in the first month of next year around the week-long Lunar New Year vacations and celebrations, which commence on 21 January. The BBC reported on Sunday that millions of Chinese usually travel this time to spend holidays with beloved ones and families.
People’s health at risk
Dr. Wu said the third spike in cases would run from late February to mid-March as would be back to work after the vacations, and then the people’s health would be at risk.
In China, over 90 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated. But, less than half of citizens aged eighty and above have received 3 doses of the vaccine. Elderly people are more likely to fall seriously ill with Covid-19.
Dr. Wu’s statement comes after a renowned US-based research institute reported earlier this week that more than 1 million people in China could die from the pandemic in 2023 following a huge surge in cases.
