BEIJING: China's top officials have declared an "overwhelming victory" over COVID-19, saying the country's efforts have resulted in more than 200 million people being treated and the lowest death rate in the world.
"With continuous efforts to improve COVID-19 prevention and control measures since November 2022, China's response has achieved a smooth transition in a relatively short time," said the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party Central Committee at a meeting on Thursday.
"A great landslide victory has been achieved in the prevention and control of the pandemic," she added.
State media reported that nearly 800,000 severe cases had received appropriate treatment, but officials warned that while the epidemiological situation continues to improve in China, the coronavirus continues to spread globally and continues to mutate.
In December, China abandoned its strict anti-virus policies, which had lasted for nearly three years, in the wake of unprecedented protests against the strict restrictions. This shift unleashed the spread of COVID-19 among citizens who had been largely protected from the disease since it appeared in Wuhan in late 2019.
Several countries and the World Health Organization speculated that China had been reporting undercounts for months.(Reuters)
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