China Braces for 65 Million Weekly Covid Cases from XBB Variant

China is battling a new wave of Covid-19 caused by the XBB variants of the virus, which are expected to infect up to 65 million people a week and peak in June. The Chinese authorities are rushing to push out vaccines, with two new vaccinations for the XBB omicron subvariants given preliminary approval. The outbreak may be the greatest wave of illnesses ever recorded since China's stringent zero-Covid programme was abandoned last winter. Although officials claim the current wave will be less severe, public health experts believe a vigorous vaccination booster programme and a ready supply of antivirals in hospitals are essential to avoid another surge in mortality among the massive elderly population of the nation.