China won’t see new Covid wave despite arrival of highly contagious Omicron variant, medical expert says
- Chinese CDC confirms first case of XBB.1.5 subvariant, but respiratory disease specialist says immunity remains strong across the country
- Health authorities report just six Covid-19 deaths among hospital patients on Thursday, down more than 99 per cent from pandemic peak
The variant now accounts for over 80 per cent of cases in the United States, where it has spread rapidly since December. The World Health Organization (WHO) said last month that the strain was “the most transmissible variant that has been detected yet”.
However, Li also said Covid-19 immunity in China remained strong despite the new strain being found in the country, and while there might be sporadic infections, a major outbreak was unlikely.
“At present, the newly confirmed cases are mainly people who have not previously been infected, and the probability of being infected twice by the exact same strain is very small,” Li said.
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China recorded just six Covid-19 deaths in hospitals on February 16, down 99.99 per cent from a daily peak of 4,273 on January 4, according to CDC data released on Saturday. Hospital deaths related to Covid-19 stood at 98 for the seven-day period ending on February 16.