BEIJING – The possibility of a big Covid-19 rebound in China over the next two or three months is remote, as 80 per cent of people have been infected, a prominent government scientist said on Saturday.

The mass movement of people during the ongoing Lunar New Year holiday period may spread the pandemic, boosting infections in some areas, but a second Covid wave is unlikely in the near term, Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the China Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said on the Weibo social media platform.

Hundreds of millions of Chinese are travelling across the country for holiday reunions that had been suspended under recently eased Covid curbs, raising fears of fresh outbreaks in rural areas less equipped to manage large outbreaks.

China has passed the peak of Covid patients in fever clinics, emergency rooms and with critical conditions, a National Health Commission official said on Thursday.

Nearly 60,000 people with Covid had died in hospital as of Jan 12, roughly a month after China abruptly dismantled its zero-Covid policy, according to government data.

But some experts said that figure probably vastly undercounts the full impact, as it excludes those who die at home, and because many doctors have said they are discouraged from citing Covid as a cause of death. REUTERS More On This Topic Chinese return home to celebrate first CNY free from Covid-19 restrictions China making 'enormous progress' on vaccinating elderly: WHO Related Stories Kraken coronavirus subvariant: Why it is causing concern All around the world, Covid-19 surveillance is faltering We may be entering Covid-19s least predictable year yet Will a China Covid-19 wave set back endemic living in Singapore? Covid-19 variants in China also detected in Malaysia How bad is Chinas Covid-19 outbreak? Its a scientific guessing game As Covid-19 continues to spread, so does misinformation about it Covid-19s true death toll still elusive, three years on Long Covid remains a mystery, though theories are emerging Covid-19's harmful effects on the brain reverberate years later: Study