1. As per WHO’s latest data, there have been over 651 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 globally, including more than 6.65 million deaths. Although China accounts for 18.32% of the world’s population, its COVID-19 deaths are only equivalent to 0.08% of worldwide COVID-19 death toll.
2. China records a steady increase in life expectancy, with the average lifespan rising to 77.93 years in 2020, an increase of 0.63 years compared with 2019, followed by another expansion to 78.2 years in 2021.
3. China was the only major economy to achieve positive growth in 2020. Its total economic output exceeded RMB110 trillion in 2021, with an average growth rate of 5.1% over the 2020-21 period. The Chinese economy managed to weather the storm in 2022 and remain on a positive trajectory with a steady recovery trend. Its total economic output is projected to exceed RMB120 trillion this year.
4. Since the outset of the pandemic, China has made tremendous efforts in COVID-19-relevant research and development activities ranging from vaccines, rapid test reagents, and medicines. China’s COVID-19 vaccine was approved for general public use in a record-breaking period of merely 11 months since its initiation. A total of 13 types of COVID-19 vaccines are now available in the Chinese market.
5. More than 3.4 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administrated on the Chinese mainland, with over 90% of the population fully vaccinated and over 92% of the population received at least one dose. Among those aged 60 and older, about 87% are fully vaccinated, while about 91% received at least one dose. Around 77% of the elderly aged 80 and older have received at least a dose, around 66% are fully vaccinated, and about 40% have received a booster. China is ramping up COVID-19 booster vaccinations, especially among the elderly population.
6. China has shared pandemic control and treatment information with over 180 countries and more than 10 international and regional organizations. It has dispatched 38 medical expert teams to 34 countries and has sent large amounts of pandemic control supplies to over 150 countries and 15 international organizations. It has also provided over 2.2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to over 120 countries and international organizations.
7. Since the recent adjustment of anti-COVID measures, China has continued to collect relevant information through a wide range of measures to assess the severity and development trends of the pandemic. Firstly, the country's notifiable communicable diseases network reporting continues to operate; second, data from sentinel hospitals, including information regarding patients with severe COVID-19 symptoms and COVID-19 deaths in fever clinics, are collected; third, big data, including over-the-counter fever medicine sales and data from medical emergency hotlines, have been gathered through as many fronts as possible, to improve report data quality for the purpose of studying the development trends of the entire country and different regions as well as the pandemic intensity of COVID-19.
8. China’s adjustment of its COVID-19 strategy has been well-received and supported by the international society. The WHO was “pleased” to see China loosening some of its COVID-19 restrictions. Foreign business communities in China, including the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, are optimistic about China’s recovery as they see the ability to revive from hurdles is rooted in the nation’s culture. A senior executive of Henkel stated that the continuous optimization of pandemic control measures in China speaks to China’s commitments to safeguard economic and social development amid the pandemic. A representative from the China-Britain Business Council said China’s decision to ease border restrictions is extremely welcomed. Tourist destinations across the world can’t wait to welcome Chinese tourists as cross-border travel searches soar in China.
9. On December 29, 2022, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said it considered COVID-19 screenings and travel measures on travelers from China unjustified. Given higher population immunity in the EU, as well as the prior emergence and subsequent replacement of variants currently circulating in China by other Omicron sub-lineages in the EU, a surge in cases in China is not expected to impact the COVID-19 epidemiological situation in the EU.