The disease control expert has also warned that the virus outbreak, which has killed at least 610,000 people worldwide, has yet to reach its peak.
Dr Zhang Wenhong (pictured on June 8 in Shanghai), who led the fight against COVID-19 in Shanghai, made the stark warning on Sunday while giving a speech at Fudan University.
The file picture taken on July 2 shows a patient being transferred to the COVID-19 Unit at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, Texas
The picture shows a group of people wearing face masks as they walk down the Bourke street in Melbourne on July 19
Dr Zhang’s claims come as China has recorded a new wave of coronavirus cases as both Xinjiang and Hong Kong are grappled with fresh health crises. Xinjiang, home to most of China’s Uighur ethnic minority, has reported a total of 55 confirmed infections in two cities after a new COVID-19 outbreak erupted in its regional capital of Urumqi last week.
Hong Kong is bracing what its leader called an ‘out of control’ surge of cases after registering over 100 cases on Sunday, the highest single-day total recorded since the pandemic began.
Meanwhile, the deadly disease that emerged in Wuhan last year has infected more than 14 million people around the world and claimed at least 610,000 deaths.
The picture shows a medic collecting a swab sample from a man in Urumqi city on July 19
Dr Zhang, 50, warned the public that the coronavirus pandemic still had not peaked while giving a speech at Shanghai’s Fudan University on July 19. He told the audience: ‘It is still in the process of continuously spreading, therefore the peak of the pandemic has not arrived by now.’
The disease control expert also predicted that it could take the world ‘about two years’ to contain the devastating global crisis. ‘I personally think that the transmission chain of the virus is actually difficult to stop now.
‘Globally speaking, the virus may exist forever, but the pandemic will eventually be brought under control. Essentially, it will take about two years,’ the medical expert added.
This photo taken on July 20 shows people watching a movie as they sit apart to ensure social distancing on the first day of cinemas reopening
Students are pictured with face masks gathering at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing
The news come as China is relaxing many restrictions while maintaining mask wearing, temperature checks and social distancing. Following months of closure, limited numbers of movie goers were allowed back into cinemas Monday in cities such as Shanghai, Hanzhou and Guilin where the risk of virus infection is considered low.
Economic activity has also gradually recovered in the country as China has reported an unexpectedly strong 3.2% expansion in its GDP during the latest quarter after lockdowns were lifted while factories and stores reopened.
