The variant now accounts for over 80 per cent of cases in the United States, where it has spread rapidly since December. The World Health Organization (WHO) said last month that the strain was “the most transmissible variant that has been detected yet”.

What does coronavirus have in store for China after massive wave of infection?

However, Li also said Covid-19 immunity in China remained strong despite the new strain being found in the country, and while there might be sporadic infections, a major outbreak was unlikely.

“At present, the newly confirmed cases are mainly people who have not previously been infected, and the probability of being infected twice by the exact same strain is very small,” Li said.

China recorded just six Covid-19 deaths in hospitals on February 16, down 99.99 per cent from a daily peak of 4,273 on January 4, according to CDC data released on Saturday. Hospital deaths related to Covid-19 stood at 98 for the seven-day period ending on February 16.

Meanwhile, the positivity rate for rapid antigen tests was 0.7 per cent, compared to 21.3 per cent on December 22.

Why did Covid-19 wave hit China’s countryside earlier than expected?

The WHO has since called on China to provide more data on its pandemic situation after the country narrowed its definition of what counts as a Covid-19 death, sparking concerns that case numbers were being undercounted.

China has made some progress in boosting vaccination rates among the elderly. As of Thursday, 96.1 per cent of people over 60 had received a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, and 92 per cent of those in the age group eligible to take the first booster dose had done so, the CDC said.