China's COVID-19 levels low despite recent uptick

China's COVID-19 infection level has remained stable at a low level despite a recent uptick, and there is no need for the public to be unduly concerned about normal fluctuations in case numbers as the disease has evolved into a common respiratory virus, a health expert said on Thursday.

Chang Zhaorui, a researcher at the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said national COVID-19 activity has remained at a low level since October.

The epidemic situation showed signs of flaring up in late May this year but returned to low-level circulation by mid-June.

Chang said that the positivity rate of COVID-19 infections at sentinel hospitals has recently increased. Data from the CDC showed that China reported 79,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in June, including 130 severe cases and one related death.

However, she said the overall epidemic is only showing a modest upward trend and remains at a low level.

She added that the dominant strain circulating in China is the NB.1.8.1 lineage variant, and current surveillance has not detected any new variants that pose additional public health risks.

"The novel coronavirus has now evolved into a common respiratory infectious disease. The public need not be overly concerned about regular fluctuations in the epidemic," she said.

Xi Jingjing, spokeswoman for the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration, said the overall level of respiratory infectious diseases also remains low, with rhinovirus and parainfluenza virus showing only mild activity.

However, Xi warned that active mosquito breeding and increased population mobility during the summer months are raising the risk that imported vector-borne diseases could trigger local transmission. Southern provinces, in particular, face a heightened risk of localized clusters of dengue fever and chikungunya, she said.