After three years of keeping the coronavirus at bay in China, the country’s top officials declared a “decisive victory” over Covid-19, claiming the world’s lowest fatality rate.
A senior government scientist reported last month that 80% of China’s 1.4 billion population had become infected after the country unexpectedly ended its zero-Covid policy in early December.
Despite media reports of overflowing hospital wards and morgues, China only registered around 80,000 Covid fatalities in hospitals in the two months after it relaxed its restrictions.
China’s Politburo Standing Committee (PSC) said Thursday that the country’s Covid-19 response had made a smooth transition in a very short amount of time thanks to ongoing efforts to optimize Covid-19 prevention and control measures since November 2022.
It declared, “A major decisive victory in epidemic prevention and control has been achieved,” and went on to note that due to China’s efforts, over 200 million people received medical attention, with roughly 800,000 cases requiring intensive care.
Though the situation is improving, leaders have warned that the virus is still spreading globally and continues to mutate, as reported by state media.
