Published2 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, EPABy Nicholas YongBBC NewsChinese health officials say the country’s current wave of Covid-19 infections is “coming to an end”.The number of severe Covid cases and deaths is trending downward, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a report.It also said there had been “no obvious rebound” during Lunar New Year holidays last week, where millions reunited for family gatherings.There have long been questions raised about China’s Covid reporting.But experts say the decline reported now corresponds with the expected timing of an end to this major wave. The virus tore through Chinese cities and towns after authorities lifted zero-Covid restrictions in December. However fever clinic visit rates have dropped over 90% through January and hospitalisation rates are down over 85%.Fears that the virus could surge again during the festive period have also not yet been realised.In its report, the CDC said: “There has not been an obvious rebound in Covid cases during the Lunar New Year holidays. “In this time, no new variant has been discovered, and the country’s current wave is coming to an end.”China eyes life beyond Covid despite high infectionsChinese families reunite for a bittersweet New YearCovid losses mount in rural China: ‘There are just too many’It also reported a sharp decline in the daily Covid death toll reported by hospitals – from a peak of 4,300 deaths on 4 January to 896 deaths on 23 January.Infectious diseases expert Hsu Li Yang told the BBC: “This drop in deaths follows the decline in the first huge wave of cases after China relaxed its restrictions, which is understandable and has been seen in virtually every country experiencing a large Covid wave.”We will know soon if the Lunar New Year celebrations will trigger another surge in China cases, but it is unlikely to match what was experienced in December and the earlier part of January 2023.”One of China’s leading epidemiologists – and former head of the CDC Zeng Guang -had earlier this month warned that cases would surge in rural areas during the new year. The BBC has also found evidence of a considerable number of Covid-related deaths in China’s rural regions, as the virus spread from big cities to more remote areas with older populations.However the CDC said there had been no immediate spike following the festive period.It’s estimated that 226 million passenger trips were taken during the Lunar New Year festive season from 22-27 January – a 70% increase from last year when pandemic restrictions were still in place across many parts of China. According to CDC data, Covid deaths halved in consecutive weeks in January. A total of 12,658 deaths were recorded between 13-19 January, while 6,364 deaths were recorded the following week.In December, Beijing abruptly ended draconian Covid curbs that had seen millions of its citizens locked down over the past three years. That led to a severe spike in Covid infections and deaths, with some experts estimating a majority of the population contracted Covid in the weeks following.A Peking University study said that as of 11 January, some 900 million people in China had been infected with the coronavirus, amid multiple reports of overcrowded hospitals and crematoria. However, Chinese authorities initially maintained that there had only been seven deaths since the end of zero-Covid on 7 December, after narrowing its definition of what counts as a Covid death.The National Health Commission later reported almost 60,000 Covid-related deaths between 8 December and 12 January, after it began including deaths from underlying conditions as well as respiratory failure caused by Covid. China’s official Covid data is believed to be vastly underreported, and authorities stopped releasing daily caseload reports last month. Beijing has said it has been sharing Covid data in “a timely, open and transparent manner in accordance with the law.”More on this storyCovid losses mount in rural China: ‘There are just too many’5 days agoChinese families reunite for a bittersweet New Year22 JanuaryNearly everyone in China province got Covid – official9 JanuaryYoung Chinese self-infect amid Covid fears for elderly6 January

Published48 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, MARK R CRISTINO/EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockBy Nicholas YongBBC NewsCovid cases will surge in rural China where healthcare is less accessible, a top Chinese epidemiologist has warned.Hundreds of millions of Chinese are travelling to their hometowns – many for the first time since the pandemic began – ahead of the lunar new year.The peak of China’s Covid wave is expected to last two to three months, added Zeng Guang, ex-head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control.China has stopped providing daily Covid statistics since abandoning zero-Covid.However hospitals in big cities – where healthcare facilities are better and more easily accessible – have become crowded with Covid patients as the virus has spread through the country.Speaking at an event earlier this month, Mr Zeng said it was “time to focus on the rural areas”, in remarks reported in the Caixin news outlet.Many elderly, sick and disabled in the countryside were already being left behind in terms of Covid treatment, he added.China’s central Henan province is the only province to have given details of infection rates – earlier this month a health official there said nearly 90% of the population had had Covid, with similar rates seen in urban and rural areas.However government officials say many provinces and cities have passed the peak of infections.The Lunar New Year holidays in China, which officially start from 21 January, involves the world’s largest annual migration of people.Some two billion trips are expected to be made in total and tens of millions of people have already travelled.Chinese hope lunar new year consigns Covid to pastYoung Chinese self-infect amid Covid fears for elderlyLast month, China abruptly abandoned its zero Covid policies. It also reopened its borders on Sunday.Official data shows five or fewer deaths a day over the past month, numbers which are inconsistent with the long queues seen at funeral homes and reports of deaths on social media.In December Chinese officials said they planned to issue monthly rather than daily updates on the Covid situation in the country.The World Health Organisation (WHO) said China, which stopped reporting Covid fatalities from Tuesday, was heavily under-reporting Covid deaths. In response, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin stressed again at a regular press briefing on Thursday that Beijing has been sharing Covid data in “a timely, open and transparent manner in accordance with the law”, having held technical exchanges with the WHO over the past month.International health experts have predicted at least a million Covid-related deaths in China this year. Beijing has officially reported just over 5,000 deaths since the pandemic began, one of the lowest death rates in the world.More on this storyJoy and long queues as China reopens borders4 days ago

Published5 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesBy Nicholas YongBBC NewsNearly 90% of people in Henan, China’s third most populous province, have now been infected with Covid, local health officials say.Provincial official Kan Quancheng revealed the figure – amounting to about 88.5 million people – at a press conference.China is battling an unprecedented surge in cases after abandoning zero-Covid policies in December.The move followed rare protests against lockdowns, quarantines and mass tests.Mr Kan did not specify a timeline for when all the infections happened – but as China’s previous zero-Covid policy kept cases to a minimum, it’s likely the vast majority of Henan’s infections occurred in the past few weeks.He said visits to fever clinics in Henan province peaked on 19 December “after which it showed a continuous downward trend”.The Henan provincial figures are in stark contrast to Covid figures from the central governmentAccording to official data, just 120,000 people in the country of 1.4 billion have been infected and 30 died since the shift in Covid policy. Meanwhile on Sunday, authorities reported three Covid deaths in mainland China, one more than the day before.However, with the definition of Covid deaths narrowed and mass testing no longer compulsory, government data is no longer reflective of the true scale of the outbreak.Other local and provincial officials have also been providing very different data to that from the central government. On Christmas Eve, a senior health official in the port city of Qingdao reported that half a million people were being infected each day. Those case figures were swiftly removed from news reports. Young Chinese self-infect amid Covid fears for elderlyCelebrity deaths spark fears over China Covid tollMeanwhile Chinese health officials said they would not include Pfizer’s antiviral Covid medicine Paxlovid in its basic medical insurance schemes as a result of the high price quoted by the US firm.The drug, temporarily covered by China’s broad healthcare insurance scheme until 31 March, has seen a sharp increase in demand since China’s Covid cases surged last month.Pfizer would continue to collaborate with the Chinese government and all relevant stakeholders to “secure and adequate supply” of the medicine in China, the company said in a statement.On Sunday, Beijing also lifted mandatory quarantine for all international arrivals and opened its border with Hong Kong.In the first wave of pre-holiday travel, official data showed that 34.7 million people travelled domestically on Saturday. This represented an increase of more than a third compared to last year, according to state media.Infections are expected to soar as the country celebrates Lunar New Year later this month, with millions expected to travel from big cities to visit older relatives in the countryside.Overall, more than two billion individual journeys are expected to take place, officials have said.Listen to more on what we know about China’s Covid numbers: More or Less- Behind the Stats – Can China’s data on Covid deaths be trusted- on BBC SoundsMore on this storyCelebrity deaths spark fears over China Covid toll4 days agoYoung Chinese self-infect amid Covid fears for elderly3 days ago