NHK World-Japan reported that Chinese health authorities said that more than 12,000 hospitalized COVID-19-infected individuals died in a span of seven days through Thursday.
Between January 13 and January 19, 12,658 patients had died in medical facilities, according to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday. NHK World-Japan reports that officials said 681 people died of respiratory failure and 11,977 died of complications. The official death tolls in China have not been updated in seven days for the first time.
According to CNN, Wu Zunyou, the chief epidemiologist at China’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has stated that nearly eight in ten people in China have been infected with COVID-19. Wu Zunyou has stated that the country’s current “wave of the epidemic has already infected about 80% of the people” with the disease.
The assertion made by Wu Zunyou comes amid worries that the flurry of travel during the Lunar New Year’s holiday could spread the virus to the countryside and trigger a second round of infections.
Wu stated on his personal social media account that the scenario was unlikely due to the large number of Chinese people who have been infected with COVID-19. According to the news report, Wu asserted that the likelihood of a large-scale COVID-19 rebound in China is extremely low.
According to CNN, Wu Zunyou stated, “The possibility of a large-scale Covid-19 rebound or a second wave of infections across the country in the next two to three months is very small.”
CNN, citing Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, reported that on the eve of the Lunar New Year, more than 26 million passenger trips were made. According to a news report, on the day prior to the start of the Lunar New Year, more than 4.1 million people traveled by train and 756,000 people traveled by air to attend holiday reunions.
According to data provided by the government, CNN reported that Beijing abruptly ended its “zero-Covid” policy on December 8 and January 12, resulting in the deaths of nearly 60,000 COVID-19 infected individuals in Chinese hospitals. To control the spread of COVID-19, China notably adhered to stringent lockdowns, travel restrictions, and mass testing.
