‘COVID-19 may strike harder in winter’

DM Monitoring

BEIJING: The novel coronavirus raging worldwide may strike harder this winter, dampening the outlook for a return to a normal life and underscoring the need to gear up for a protracted war against the disease, experts have said.
Despite the increased risk, the epidemic situation that played out in Hubei province earlier this year will not be repeated in China, as the country has proved that regional outbreaks can be suppressed with swift and targeted control measures, a response that the rest of the world could refer to, they said.
Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said the virus has been spreading quickly worldwide since March and recent new infections added in the United States, Brazil, India and South Africa accounted for more than half of total new caseloads.
“Initial analysis shows that the viral pandemic will maintain a high level of prevalence in the near future and worsen during the coming winter,” he said during an online forum held by Caixin Magazine, China Daily reported.