China says Covid-19 outbreak has infected 80% of population

A woman lights candles at a shrine on the eve of lunar new year in the Chinatown area of Bangkok on January 21, 2023. - AFP

BEIJING, Jan 21 (Reuters): The possibility of a big Covid-19 rebound in China over the next two or three months is remote as 80% of people have been infected, a prominent government scientist said on Saturday.

The mass movement of people during the ongoing Lunar New Year holiday period may spread the pandemic, boosting infections in some areas, but a second Covid wave is unlikely in the near term, Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said on the Weibo social media platform.