A prominent epidemiologist in China predicted that the peak of the Corona (Covid-19) wave in the country would last from two to 3 months, and that the situation would soon explode in the vast rural areas.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of infections and hundreds of deaths from corona were recorded in several European countries and in South Korea.

Chinese epidemiologist Zeng Guang expected the infection to increase in rural areas, where medical resources are relatively scarce, and with hundreds of millions returning to their hometowns for the Lunar New Year holidays.

The holiday officially starts from January 21, and before the pandemic it was described as the largest annual movement in the world.

Last month, China abruptly abandoned a strict regime that included mass lockdowns that sparked unprecedented protests across the country in late November, and finally reopened its borders on Sunday.

But the sudden lifting of restrictions allowed the virus to attack the population of 1.4 billion, more than a third of whom live in areas where infections have already passed their peak, according to state media.

The former chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention warned that the worst is far from over, according to a report published by the local website "Saixin" on Thursday.

"The priority was to focus on big cities, it's time to focus on rural areas," the website quoted Zeng as saying, noting that a large number of rural residents, where medical facilities are relatively weaker, do not receive due attention, including the elderly, the sick and the disabled.

As for the authorities, they said that they are making efforts to improve the supply of antiviral drugs across the country, as the anti-Covid drug molnopiravir, produced by Merck & Co, is expected to be available in China starting from Friday.


Thousands of injuries and deaths

On the other hand, the Corona virus is still spreading widely in several countries in the world, and it has also caused dozens of deaths.

In France, 7,178 new cases of the emerging coronavirus, and 53 deaths related to the pandemic, were recorded during the past 24 hours, according to data from the American “Johns Hopkins” University today, Friday.

This brings the confirmed infections with the virus in the country to 39,640,595, and the deaths to 164,287.

As for Austria, it recorded 3,164 new cases of the emerging coronavirus, and 19 deaths, in the past 24 hours, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Thus, the death toll from confirmed infections in the country increased to 5,734,324, and deaths rose to 21,536.

Germany, for its part, recorded 19,379 new cases of coronavirus and 181 new deaths, in the past 24 hours, according to data from Johns Hopkins University today, Friday.

This brings the number of confirmed infections in the country to 37,581,570, and the death toll to 163,425.

South Korea witnessed 39,726 new cases of coronavirus and 51 deaths recorded in the past 24 hours, including 137 cases from abroad.

This brings the total number of infections to 29,737,769 cases, and deaths have risen to 32,867, according to what Yonhap News Agency quoted from the Korean Agency for Disease Control and Prevention.

The new toll represents the lowest level for any Friday in 11 weeks, when the country recorded 35,913 new cases on October 28.