China
2020.10.30 22:17 GMT+8

China may not have second wave of COVID-19, top respiratory expert

Updated 2020.10.30 22:17 GMT+8

Migrant workers are in line to take bus, Chongqing, China. /CFP

Top respiratory expert Zhong Nanshan said on Friday China will unlikely have a second wave of coronavirus because of the comprehensive and strict prevention and control measures.

"These measures are also very effective in preventing seasonal influenza in the coming winter," said Zhong, the leading person in China's fight against the coronavirus, via a video phone call to a health summit held in Hebei Province.

He suggested that the second wave of coronavirus has already started in some parts of the world. Many countries have imposed serious control measures.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel both ordered their countries back into lockdown on Wednesday, as a massive second wave of coronavirus infections threatened to overwhelm Europe before the winter.

In the United States, a new wave of infections has been setting records with six days to go until Election Day according to Reuters report. President Donald Trump has played down the virus and shows no sign of cancelling public rallies where his supporters often refuse to wear masks or keep a safe distance.

When temperature gets colder, countries in North Hemisphere will suffer more from the pandemic. But China still needs to take the virus seriously, Zhong stressed, saying the country has seen sporadic cluster cases over past several months.

In June, Beijing was reported to have hundreds of new infections, almost all of them were linked to a wholesale agriculture market called Xinfadi. The market was immediately closed after the virus was detected.

Beijing officials have moved swiftly to stop the disease from spreading further, putting the surrounding districts on a "wartime" footing while reimposing restrictions on movement, schools, tourism and entertainment events across the city.

Read more: 

Origin of COVID-19 resurgence in Beijing: Cold chain food contamination

This month, both Qingdao, a costal city in east China's Shandong Province, and Kashgar Prefecture in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region reported new cases.

The immediate lockdowns and mass testing even at the first signs of infection have been vital to China's success in controlling the disease, allowing its economy to quickly recover from the crisis, experts say.

Many people are worried about the looming winter may increase the infection risk caused by the coronavirus and influenza. Zhong suggested the possibility cannot be denied. However, the most effective measures for general public are to take are to keep social distance and wear masks.

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