China’s abrupt lifting of stringent Covid-19 restrictions could result in an explosion of cases and over a million deaths through 2023, according to new projections from the U.S.-based Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). According to the group’s projections, cases in China would peak around April 1, when deaths would reach 3.22 lakh.
About a third of China’s population will have been infected by then, IHME Director Christopher Murray said. China lifted some of the world’s toughest Covid restrictions in December after unprecedented public protests and is now experiencing a spike in infections, with fears Covid could sweep across its 1.4 billion population during next month’s Lunar New Year holiday.