According to the statement made by the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), 12 thousand 658 deaths due to the virus were recorded on January 13-19. It was stated that 59 thousand 938 deaths due to the virus were seen between December 8, 2022 and January 12, 2023, following the removal of Kovid-19 measures in the country. Thus, the number of confirmed deaths in the last epidemic wave increased to 72 thousand 596.
80 percent of the population is infected with viruses
CDC Chief Epidemiologist Vu Zunyou also stated on the social networking site Weibo that more than 80 percent of the 1.4 billion Chinese population is estimated to have been infected in the time since the measures were lifted.
Pointing out that travels within the country during the Spring Festival holiday, which includes China’s traditional New Year celebration, may lead to the spread of the virus to different regions, Vu stated that they do not expect a new wave to emerge in the next 3-4 months, since the virus has already infected about 80 percent of the population.
The country faced the largest mass spillover to date, with the abrupt lifting of Covid-19 measures at the beginning of last month. After the epidemic wave triggered by the spread in big cities, those who visit their hometowns to celebrate the New Year on Spring Festival are worried that the epidemic will spread to small and medium-sized cities and rural settlements.
Airfinity, a health data services and analysis company headquartered in London, pointed out that the number of cases will rise again throughout the country in the two-week period covering before and after the New Year celebration, and the daily number of cases in the two-week period covering 13-27 January was 4, He estimated that 8 million and the daily death toll could reach up to 36,000.
2.1 BILLION TRAVELS ARE EXPECTED TO BE MADE IN SPRING DAY
Since the beginning of the Kovid-19 epidemic, many migrant workers and employees, who could not leave their cities due to quarantine measures, travel restrictions, bans brought by institutions and companies, had the opportunity to return to their hometowns this New Year’s, with the removal of the measures.
In Chinese tradition, it is important for people to spend the Lunar New Year with their families. During the “Spring Feast” period, which includes the New Year celebration, millions of people travel within the country to visit their hometowns. The Spring Festival journeys, called “Chunyun”, are called “the world’s largest mass migration”.
The Ministry of Transport reported that 2.1 billion trips are expected during the 40-day holiday period, which covers January 7 to February 15 this year. (AA)