China is experiencing the first of three expected waves of Covid infections this winter, according to a top Chinese health official. The country is seeing a surge in cases since the revocation of the most severe restrictions earlier this month. The latest official figures appear to show a relatively low number of new daily cases. However, there are concerns that these numbers are an underestimate due to a recent reduction in Covid testing. So far the government reported only 2,097 new daily cases yesterday.
Epidemiologist Wu Zunyou has said he believes the current spike in infections would run until mid-January, while the second wave would then be triggered by mass travel next month around the week-long Lunar New Year celebrations which begin on 21st January. Millions of people usually travel at this time to spend the holiday with family. The third surge in cases would run from late February to mid-March as people return to work after the holiday, Dr Wu said. He told a conference on Saturday that current vaccination levels offered a certain level of protection against the surges and had resulted in a drop in the number of severe cases.
Dr Wu’s comments come after a reputable US-based research institute reported earlier this week that it believed China could see over a million people die from Covid in 2023 following an explosion of cases. Though the government has not officially reported any Covid deaths since 7th of this month, there are anecdotal reports of deaths linked to Covid appearing in Beijing.
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