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China reports 79,000 new COVID-19 cases in June, sparking surprise online

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • China reported 79,000 new COVID-19 cases in June, with a rising trend, surprising many netizens.
  • The majority of cases were attributed to the Omicron variant and its sub-branches.
  • Chinese social media users expressed disbelief, with some noting that COVID-19 has become an endemic illness and others suggesting underreporting due to mild symptoms or lack of testing.

China reported 79,000 new COVID-19 cases in June, a figure that has caused surprise and concern among netizens, particularly given the perceived decline in the pandemic's impact. The overall number indicates an upward trend, prompting questions about the virus's continued prevalence.

How are there still [cases]?

โ€” Chinese NetizenA common reaction from Chinese netizens upon hearing about the June COVID-19 case numbers.

According to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), between June 1 and June 30, 79,000 domestic cases were confirmed. Of these, 130 were severe. Genetic sequencing of 3,741 collected samples revealed that all were Omicron variant strains, primarily NB.1.8.1 and its sub-branches.

The news quickly became a top trending topic on Weibo, China's social media platform. Many users expressed astonishment, with some feeling as though they had "time-traveled back to 2020" when the pandemic first began. Others commented that COVID-19 has always been present and has simply evolved into an endemic, or regularly occurring, disease.

It's like we time-traveled back to 2020.

โ€” Chinese NetizenA netizen expresses surprise at the resurgence of reported COVID-19 cases.

Several Chinese netizens shared insights suggesting that the official numbers might not reflect the full picture. They pointed out that many individuals experiencing cold-like symptoms do not seek medical attention or that hospitals are not actively testing for COVID-19, leading to a significant number of unreported cases. This sentiment suggests that the actual number of infections could be considerably higher than the officially reported figure.

COVID-19 has always been here, it's just become an endemic disease.

โ€” Chinese NetizenA netizen suggests that COVID-19 is now aๅธธๆ…‹ๆ€งๆต่กŒ็—… (endemic illness).
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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