Health

Beijing says Covid-19 epidemic has ‘basically’ ended in China

Beijing, Feb 23 (EFE).- Chinese authorities said Thursday that the Covid 19 epidemic could be considered “basically over” in the country with just sporadic and regional outbreaks being recorded.

“China has managed to secure a decisive victory over the (Covid-19) virus and has set an example of how a populous nation can overcome an epidemic,” Liang Wannian, China’s National Health Commission chief, said at a press conference, according to state media.

The expert added that the Chinese population had secured “a relatively strong herd immunity” against the disease.

Liang warned, however, that although the spread of the disease had largely concluded in China, the epidemic “has not completely ended” as the country continues to record “sporadic and localized” infections, the expert said.

NHC spokesman Mi Feng said that the Covid-19 virus continued to mutate and that “focusing on health protection and prevention” was now the priority.

Last week, the Communist Party of China declared that the country had achieved a “decisive victory” over the disease.

After almost three years of tough restrictions, lockdowns and closed borders that eventually sparked protests in several parts of the country, China started dismantling its zero Covid policy in early December.

On January 8, China officially downgraded Covid 19 from a top-level category A infectious disease to category B.

China registered 83,150 deaths in hospitals linked to Covid 19 between December 8 and February 9, according to data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.EFE

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