60% Of China Likely To Get COVID In Next 90 Days: Top Epidemiologist

Beijing: China is experiencing a massive surge in coronavirus cases after Beijing relaxed the zero-COVID norms. Hospitals are completely overwhelmed, epidemiologist and health economist Eric Feigl-Ding has tweeted.

The epidemiologist estimates that more than 60 per cent of China and 10 per cent of Earth’s population are likely to be infected over the next 90 days with deaths likely in the millions.

“The current Omicron variant has an R value of 16. For every 1 person that gets the virus, 16 more catch it too,” he added.

According to media reports, China reported 2,722 new symptomatic coronavirus infections and five fatalities on Monday.  While hospitals are overflowing with COVID patients, crematoriums in several cities are flooded with bodies, India Today reported.

According to IHME Director Christopher Murray, COVID-19 cases in China would peak around April 1, when deaths would reach 322,000. About a third of China’s population will have been infected by then.

China lifted the world’s toughest COVID restrictions on December 7 after unprecedented public protests.