China May See Three Winter Covid Waves, Health Expert Says

This is the first of three waves of Covid-19 infections that China may anticipate this winter, according to a senior Chinese health official.

Since the country's strictest restrictions were lifted earlier this month, there has been a sharp increase in the number of new cases.

Anticipated Covid-19 Surges

Based on the most recent available data, as documented by BBC, it seems that a minimal number of new cases are being reported each day.

But since Covid testing has been cut recently, several researchers worry that these estimates are insufficient or inaccurate. For instance, only 2,097 daily new instances were reported to the authorities on Sunday, Dec. 18.

The current uptick in illnesses is expected to continue until mid-January, as per epidemiologist Wu Zunyou. Meanwhile, the second wave will be caused by mass travel in January during the week-long Lunar New Year festivities that begin on Jan. 21.

There is no question that the Christmas season is a popular time for millions of people to take trips home to celebrate with loved ones.

Dr. Wu predicted the third spike in virus cases when people returned to work following the holiday in late February to mid-March.

With this, he reassured an audience at the Saturday conference that the present level of immunizations provided some protection against the surges and had decreased the number of severe cases.

China's Vaccinations

In BBC's previous report, China claims that more than 90% of its population has been immunized. On the other hand, only around half of those 80-year-olds and above have had all three vaccination shots.

Notably, more severe Covid symptoms are seen in the elderly.

It has been established by several reports that compared to the mRNA vaccinations used in most of the rest of the world, China's own vaccines are less efficient at preventing individuals from major Covid sickness and death.

Earlier last week, a prominent US-based research agency claimed that it anticipated China might witness over a million deaths from Covid in 2023, which is why Dr. Wu made the mentioned statements.

The Nation's Guidelines

Since the government's zero-Covid policy was protested so heavily, no Covid fatalities have been officially recorded since Dec. 7, when limits were lifted. The abolition of mass testing was part of it.

In Beijing, however, there are reports of fatalities perhaps related to Covid-19.

In the middle of November, China reported the first fatality in the country from the Covid-19 viral pandemic. The health of an 87-year-old Beijing resident deteriorated, and he passed away on Nov. 19.

The emergence of patients has put a strain on healthcare facilities there and in other places and has also affected postal and catering services.

Meanwhile, Shanghai, China's biggest city, has mandated that most schools move to online classes due to the rising number of reported incidents.