Beijing: The Covid-19 pandemic has “basically ended” in China but it’s not over yet, a top health official said on Thursday, days after the Chinese leadership announced a “decisive victory” against the disease, calling the win a “miracle” in human history.
“If we look at the characteristics of the pandemic itself, it can be said that the pandemic has basically ended, but it cannot be said it is completely over. The current infection (incidence) is still in a sporadic and localised state of distribution,” Liang Wannian, head of the expert group leading epidemic response at the national health commission (NHC) said on Thursday.
“At least eight imported cases of the XBB.7.1 variant have been diagnosed in China with one locally associated XBB.2.3 case caused by an imported case also found,” Chang Zhaorui, a researcher at the Department of Communication and Prevention at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said at the press conference.
Last week, China declared a “decisive victory” over Covid-19, describing it as a “miracle” and claiming the lowest fatality rate globally amid lingering doubts over how many actually died from the infection.
Two schools in Hangzhou in the eastern Zhejiang province suspended classes after more than a dozen Covid-19 cases were reported last week.
“The Hangzhou pandemic control authority told local media that 15 Covid-19 cases were reported altogether in the two classes. Underscoring that it was a regional flare-up, an official said that it was the first time that all those who tested positive had been infected, and that it did not indicate a new wave,” the news website Sixth Tone reported.
“It is necessary to strengthen pandemic surveillance and normalised early warning, closely track and study the mutation and spread of the virus, and improve the early detection, early handling and emergency response capabilities of the epidemic,” NHC spokesperson, Mi Feng said on Thursday, according to the digital newspaper, The Paper.
Declaring “victory” over the disease, the Chinese government had said last week: “…China’s Covid-19 response has made a smooth transition in a relatively short time, with more than 200 million people accessing medical services, nearly 800,000 severe cases receiving proper treatment, and the country’s Covid-19 fatality rate remaining the world’s lowest”.
