With COVID preparedness, China poised for safe, sound Spring Festival holiday

Chinese Lunar New Year is just around the corner, and as Chinese people flock back home for family reunions, what is the country's COVID-19 situation at present?

With medical services returning to normal and COVID response measures in place at all levels and in all sorts of venues, a safe and sound Spring Festival holiday is expected, according to officials and health experts.

RETURNING TO NORMAL

The treatment of COVID-19 patients is smooth and orderly as day-to-day diagnoses and treatments gradually resume, Guo Yanhong, director of the Health Emergency Response Office of the National Health Commission, said at a press conference of the State Council joint COVID-19 prevention and control mechanism on Thursday.

The number of severe COVID-19 cases in hospitals nationwide reached its peak on Jan 5 and has dropped by 44.3 percent as of Tuesday, Guo said.

She added that the numbers of patients in fever clinics and emergency rooms peaked on Dec 23 and Jan 2, respectively, and have decreased by 94 percent and 44 percent as of Tuesday.

COVID patient numbers have been declining in day-to-day medical services centers, with 99.5 percent of outpatients and 85 percent of hospitalized patients nationwide being non-COVID-19 patients on Tuesday, Guo said.

As for the newly detected XAY.2 variant of the coronavirus, Chang Zhaorui, a research fellow at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said it is yet to be detected in China. Chang warned that personal protection measures are still necessary, and that inbound travelers who have COVID-19 symptoms should monitor their health properly and seek medical treatment when necessary.