As the number of COVID-19 cases across the world is inching towards 15 million, an expert from China has said that the Coronavirus infections have not yet reached the peak and that it could take about two years to contain it.
The standing committee member of the Infectious Disease Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, Dr. Zhang Wenhong, is at the forefront of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic in Shanghai. It was during a speech at the city's Fudan University that he made the above statement, adding that the novel coronavirus is still in the process of continuously spreading.
Dr. Zhang said that it could take almost two years to take the virus under control. "Globally speaking, the virus may exist forever, but the pandemic will eventually be brought under control," he added, as reported by the Express.
Resurgence of Cases in China
China is lifting many restrictions but newer cases are emerging despite mitigation measures like wearing face masks, temperature screening and social distancing.
The infectious disease expert said this at a time when China announced new COVID-19 clusters in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.
Xinjiang reported a total of 55 confirmed cases in two of its cities. Urumqi, it's capital with a population of about 3.5 million, has stopped inbound and outbound flights completely, while an official said that the whole city was in a 'wartime state' and all group activities were suspended.
The city's residents must undergo SARS-CoV-2 testing if they have to leave the city on dire necessity. Hong Kong reported over 100 cases on Sunday, the highest single-day rise so far since the pandemic began.
Uncontrollable Spike
The Chief Executive of the territory, Carrie Lam, said that Hong Kong would experience an uncontrollable spike of coronavirus infections. She added that there were no signs of getting the situation under control.
Lam also ordered a new decree for non-essential civil servants to work for home.
The global death toll from the pandemic is over 614,000, as of Wednesday morning. The US tops the hard-hit countries and has confirmed more than four million cases.
