China risks a “tsunami” of coronavirus infections, resulting in 1.6-million deaths, if the government abandons its long-held Covid-zero policy and allows the highly infectious Omicron variant to spread unchecked, according to researchers at Shanghai’s Fudan University.  

The peer-reviewed study, published in the journal Nature, found the level of immunity induced by China’s March vaccination campaign would be “insufficient” to prevent an Omicron wave that would swamp intensive care capacity given low vaccine rates among the elderly and the nation’s reliance on less effective, domestic shots.  

Without restrictions such as the country’s mass-testing drives and strict lockdowns, the spread of Omicron could lead to 112.2-million symptomatic cases, 5.1-million hospital admissions and 1.6-million deaths, with the major wave occurring between May and July, the study said. ..