BEIJING (dpa-AFX) – According to a leading Chinese expert, the vast majority of the 1.4 billion Chinese will ultimately become infected with the corona virus. After the relaxation of the draconian zero-Covid measures, state media reported on Thursday that the former vice director of the Chinese health authority, Feng Zijian, assumes that 80 to 90 percent of the population will eventually become infected with the pathogen. In the first wave, the infection rate should therefore reach around 60 percent.
“Reasonable steps” must be taken to keep the peak of the wave low and reduce the burden on the health system, the government adviser said at an online forum of Beijing’s Tsinghua University, according to the newspaper “Zhongguo Qingnianbao”. The wave will put “enormous pressure” on the medical system. That’s why it’s necessary to make preparations, said Feng Zijian, who advises the government’s working group on dealing with the pandemic.
It is also important to speed up vaccinations, especially for the elderly population with chronic diseases. Current vaccines are “very effective” in reducing the risk of serious illness. Anyone who has not yet been fully vaccinated should do so as soon as possible.
According to the Bloomberg agency, Feng Zijian was one of the eight experts who advised Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chunlan last week before she spoke of a “new stage” in the fight against the virus and promised changes./lw/DP/zb