China not due for major COVID outbreak, but caution advised: experts

BEIJING -- With the prevalence of coronavirus variant EG.5 rising globally and becoming predominant in China, experts have said the country will not see a large-scale COVID-19 outbreak in the near future, but advised precautions against infections in the coming autumn and winter.

Variant EG.5 is a sub-variant of Omicron XBB.1.9.2. Statistics show that EG.5 currently accounts for 71.6 percent of the prevalent variants in China and has gained predominance in the majority of Chinese provinces.

Despite the rising trend of the EG.5 variant, China's overall COVID-19 prevalence has remained at a low level, without much pressure on the medical system, said the national administration of disease prevention and control.

The World Health Organization has designated EG.5 as a "variant of interest," but meanwhile noted that the variant poses a low risk to public health.

Li Tongzeng, a chief physician with the infection department of the Beijing You'an Hospital, said most of the COVID-19 cases now show mild symptoms, with few serious cases.

The national administration of disease prevention and control predicted that China will not see a large-scale COVID-19 outbreak in the near future.

The public immunity is still effective in guarding against the EG.5 variant, said Hu Yang, a senior physician at the department of respiratory and critical care medicine of a Shanghai-based hospital.

Huang Senzhong, a professor at Nankai University, expressed similar views, saying that there are currently some sporadic COVID-19 infections in China, but they are at a low ebb and have not had a serious impact on society.

Autumn and winter are traditionally high seasons for influenza and respiratory diseases. Experts have warned about the possibility of insufficient medical resources resulting from potential COVID-19 infections.

They suggested speeding up the research and development of vaccines targeting prevalent variants and continuing to promote vaccination among elderly people and those with serious underlying conditions.

They also called on hospitals and fever clinics to take precautions to ensure that necessary medical services are available and expand vaccination among the elderly.