Surge in respiratory illnesses in China not linked to Covid-19, say experts

The surge comes in the first full winter since China lifted the stringent coronavirus restrictions it imposed in 2020. - PHOTO: AFP

BEIJING (China Daily/ANN): A recent surge in respiratory illnesses in China is not caused by novel coronavirus mutations or immune deficiency induced by the virus, said top Chinese health experts.

Professor Zhang Wenhong, director of the National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases in Shanghai and a respected epidemiologist whose advice helped the Chinese public through Covid-19 outbreaks, said that mycoplasma pneumoniae – a pathogen that is behind many infections lately – is totally different from the novel coronavirus that causes Covid-19.