China faces three waves of Covid-19 infections.

With many COVID-19 prevention measures being lifted, Chinese health experts say the country will face three waves of the pandemic before, during, and after the upcoming Lunar New Year.

Chinese health experts, in an interview with China Daily on December 18, said that the number of Covid-19 infections in the country will increase in the near future, but the epidemic situation "remains under control."

“The rate of people with severe COVID-19 infections has decreased year by year, from 16.47% in 2020 to 3.32% in 2021. As of December 5th, the rate of people with severe infections was only 0.18%. For the Chinese health sector, the past three years have been extremely difficult. We have had to 'wait' for the virulence of the virus to lessen and become less threatening to human health,” said epidemiologist Wu Zunyou of the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Chinese medical staff take test samples from residents in Beijing. Photo: THX

According to Mr. Ngo, with many strict COVID-19 prevention measures being lifted by the central government, China appears to "face three 'waves' of infections in the near future."

“Urban areas will experience the ‘first wave’ of Covid-19 cases between mid-January and mid-January 2023. The ‘second wave’ will occur when people from cities return to their hometowns for the Lunar New Year. Finally, the ‘third wave’ will happen when people from many rural areas return to cities after the Lunar New Year, expected to occur between the end of February and mid-March next year. In my opinion, 10-30% of China’s population will be infected this winter, and the mortality rate will be between 0.09-0.16%,” Mr. Wu predicted.

According to expert Wu, China needs to step up COVID-19 vaccination for its citizens, advise people to wash their hands frequently and wear masks in public places, and "strengthen protective measures for the elderly, pregnant women, and children."

Health expert Liang Wannian from China's National Health Commission also offered a similar assessment regarding the risk that the "nation of a billion people" will face multiple new "waves" of Covid-19 during the Lunar New Year holiday.

"In my opinion, the most urgent tasks for China's healthcare sector right now are to boost vaccinations for the elderly and those with underlying health conditions; strengthen the stockpiling of medical equipment; and improve the treatment capacity of hospitals. At the same time, health authorities also need to closely monitor the emergence of new Covid-19 variants," expert Liang said.