China has experienced a massive COVID surge across the country since last December, with infections rates estimated at more than 80 percent. Experts have predicted that another wave of infections is coming.
The Chinese communist regime’s State Council stated during a Jan. 30 press conference that the overall COVID situation in the country has entered a low epidemic level and that various places have maintained a steady decline in cases.
However, the regime’s lack of transparency has cast doubt over the COVID-19 information it has released.
According to mainland Chinese media, the more infectious Omicron variants of the virus have been detected in China, such as CH.1.1, XBB.1.5, BQ.1.1, BQ.1, and XBB.
China’s top virologist and director of China’s Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Zhang Wenhong, predicted that the peak of the next wave of COVID infections in China will be in May and June this year. He estimated that the infection rate of the next wave will be about 25 to 50 percent, and that symptoms may be less severe compared with the current wave.
Xing Mingyou, a medical expert at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China, also predicted to mainland media “Yangtze River Daily” that the peak of the next wave of infections may come between March and May, and that the number of infections and disease severity will be weaker than the previous one.
2 Groups Considered at High Risk
Lu Mengji, a Chinese-German virologist, told China News Weekly on Feb. 1 that it is expected that from late March onwards, as the population’s immunity declines, the risk of infection will increase. He also predicted another COVID-19 wave in May and June.
Lu said that many elderly people who have been infected now, and people with poor physical fitness may experience more severe symptoms if they are infected again.
Dr. Liu, a professor at a traditional Chinese medicine college in Canada and director of the Kangmei Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic, told The Epoch Times on Jan. 31 that the COVID epidemic in China is complicated.
“The Chinese regime saying that the epidemic has reached a ‘low epidemic level’ is a bit too optimistic and too early. The risk of the large number of people traveling cannot be taken lightly, and rural areas may face greater risks. High mortality rates may be more likely to occur among the elderly.”
COVID-19 vaccination rates among the elderly in China are extremely low.
The Epoch Times obtained an internal document issued by Hezhou City government of Guangxi Province on Jan. 19 that shows the elderly population in the city do not want to be vaccinated.
Many people in China have been worried that Chinese-made vaccines may have undesired side effects, and haven’t encouraged their elderly to get vaccinated.
Dr. Liu said that the COVID infections in mainland China are mainly caused by the BA.5 variant of the Omicron, XBB1.5, which has been spreading all over the world, and CH.1.1, which is more concerning.
“Some people call it ‘Orthrus’, the two-headed dog in Greek mythology, because of its super immune escape ability and highly transmissible. Vaccination and booster shots are useless. The next wave of infections may surge in the mainland soon, and there may even be a third wave,” he said.
Li Yun and Fang Xiao contributed to the report.
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