– Beijing is under pressure to control both regional outbreaks and imported cases, says Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
– Covid-19 pandemic likely to continue through the spring, respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan says
Japan on Saturday relaxed a rule limiting the size of crowds at professional sports matches, movie theaters and other events, in yet another sign of a gradual return to social and economic activities at pre-coronavirus pandemic levels.
The health ministry is planning to narrow the scope of COVID-19 patients for whom hospitalization is recommended to only cover elderly people and those who suffer from chronic illnesses, in principle.
To prepare for a possible influenza outbreak in autumn or winter alongside the coronavirus pandemic, the Japanese government will beef up its testing system for COVID-19 in close cooperation with prefectural governments, new Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Norihisa Tamura has said.
