According to Mi Feng, spokesperson for the Health Commission, the upsurge is mainly caused by influenza virus, with additional cases of rhinovirus, mycoplasma pneumoniae, respiratory syncytial virus and adenovirus.

Experts stressed the significance of a vaccination campaign to curb this upsurge, particularly for Beijing residents, the elderly and people with underlying diseases.

Beijing health authorities forecast an overall rise in the number of infections, although they also confirmed a decrease in cases of mycoplasma pneumonia and the low prevalence of the XBB variant of the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus, the main strain of Covid-19 still in China.

Earlier, China’s National Health Commission also said that the hospitalization cases are caused by known infectious agents and assured that there is no evidence of “new or unusual pathogens.”

According to official reports, the agency issued a series of measures to improve the capacity to diagnose and treat common respiratory infections in community health centers and hospitals, as well as to facilitate the identification and referral of serious cases.

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