Hospitals in China are under immense pressure as a surge of illness spreads rapidly across the country prompting a return to widespread mask usage

Social media platforms are flooded with alarming images of overcrowded emergency rooms, parents waiting in long lines with their sick children and hospital wards filled with masked patients

Unverified reports claim that crematoriums and funeral homes are nearing capacity, heightening public concern and evoking memories of the initial COVID-19 outbreak

Local media have speculated that human metapneumovirus (HMPV) a virus known to cause mild respiratory symptom could be responsible for the outbreak. However, official confirmation from Chinese health authorities is still pending

The current wave bears a striking resemblance to the winter of 2022-2023, when a surge in mycoplasma pneumonia cases, nicknamed “white lung,” primarily affected children. Experts attributed that rise in infections to weakened immune systems, a consequence of prolonged lockdowns and school closures