According to a study published in the journal Nature Medicine, around 92 percent of the population in the Chinese capital of Beijing will have COVID by January 31. As of December 22, about 76% of Beijing′s population has COVID-19. Following China′s relaxation of its zero-COVID regulation in November and December, the researchers monitored the reproduction rate of the Omicron strain BF.7 in Beijing for the study.

According to the study, the reproduction rate increased from 1.04 on November 11 to 3.44 a week later, or "one individual with the virus might infect 3.44 others." Their simulations predicted that on December 11, there would be a high of 1.03 million daily cases. The researchers from the University of Hong Kong stated that surveillance programs should be quickly established to monitor the spread and evolution of Sars-CoV-2 infections, and further studies should be done to assess the transmissibility, incidence, and infection rate of the pandemic.

On January 5, the number of persons with severe COVID-19 infections reached its peak. Between January 13 and January 19, the nation reported 13,000 hospital deaths associated with COVID. According to the data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in China, 681 hospitalized patients passed away from respiratory failure last week, and 11,977 people passed away from other ailments, including a COVID infection. 

(Source: https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=1042939 )