<p>China has started taking steps to <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/china-further-relaxes-covid-rules-after-protests-1167838.html" target="_blank">ease its zero-Covid policy</a>, fuelling a mix of relief and worry as the public waits to see the health consequences, and impact on the medical system, of a full-blown exit.</p>.<p>Researchers have analysed how many deaths the country could see if it pivots to a full reopening, with most pointing to the country's relatively low vaccination rates and lack of herd immunity as some of its most vulnerable spots.</p>.<p>As of Friday, China reported 5,233 Covid-related deaths and 331,952 cases with symptoms.</p>.<p><b>Also Read | </b><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/protests-in-china-are-by-students-frustrated-due-to-covid-xi-jinping-tells-eu-president-1167870.html" target="_blank"><strong>Protests in China are by students 'frustrated' due to Covid: Xi Jinping tells EU President</strong></a></p>.<p>Here are some of the estimates:</p>.<p><strong>More than 2 million</strong></p>.<p>Zhou Jiatong, head of the Center for Disease Control in southwestern Guangxi region, said last month in a paper published by the Shanghai Journal of Preventive Medicine that mainland China faces more than 2 million deaths if it loosened Covid curbs in the same way Hong Kong did this year.</p>.<p>Infections could rise to more than 233 million, his forecast showed.</p>.<p><strong>1.55 million</strong></p>.<p>In May, scientists in China and the United States estimated that China risks just over 1.5 million Covid deaths if it drops its tough zero-Covid policy without any safeguards such as ramping up vaccination and access to treatments, according to research published in Nature Medicine.</p>.<p>They forecasted that peak demand on intensive care would be more than 15 times capacity, causing roughly 1.5 million deaths, based on worldwide data gathered about the variant's severity.</p>.<p>However, the researchers, the lead authors among whom were from Fudan University in China, said the death toll could be reduced sharply if there was a focus on vaccination.</p>.<p><strong>Up to 2.1 million</strong></p>.<p>China could see 1.3 million to 2.1 million people die if it lifts its zero-Covid policy due to low vaccination and booster rates as well as a lack of hybrid immunity, British scientific information and analytics company Airfinity said on Monday.</p>.<p>The company said it modelled its data on Hong Kong's BA.1 wave in February, which occurred after the city eased restrictions after two years.</p>
<p>China has started taking steps to <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/china-further-relaxes-covid-rules-after-protests-1167838.html" target="_blank">ease its zero-Covid policy</a>, fuelling a mix of relief and worry as the public waits to see the health consequences, and impact on the medical system, of a full-blown exit.</p>.<p>Researchers have analysed how many deaths the country could see if it pivots to a full reopening, with most pointing to the country's relatively low vaccination rates and lack of herd immunity as some of its most vulnerable spots.</p>.<p>As of Friday, China reported 5,233 Covid-related deaths and 331,952 cases with symptoms.</p>.<p><b>Also Read | </b><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/protests-in-china-are-by-students-frustrated-due-to-covid-xi-jinping-tells-eu-president-1167870.html" target="_blank"><strong>Protests in China are by students 'frustrated' due to Covid: Xi Jinping tells EU President</strong></a></p>.<p>Here are some of the estimates:</p>.<p><strong>More than 2 million</strong></p>.<p>Zhou Jiatong, head of the Center for Disease Control in southwestern Guangxi region, said last month in a paper published by the Shanghai Journal of Preventive Medicine that mainland China faces more than 2 million deaths if it loosened Covid curbs in the same way Hong Kong did this year.</p>.<p>Infections could rise to more than 233 million, his forecast showed.</p>.<p><strong>1.55 million</strong></p>.<p>In May, scientists in China and the United States estimated that China risks just over 1.5 million Covid deaths if it drops its tough zero-Covid policy without any safeguards such as ramping up vaccination and access to treatments, according to research published in Nature Medicine.</p>.<p>They forecasted that peak demand on intensive care would be more than 15 times capacity, causing roughly 1.5 million deaths, based on worldwide data gathered about the variant's severity.</p>.<p>However, the researchers, the lead authors among whom were from Fudan University in China, said the death toll could be reduced sharply if there was a focus on vaccination.</p>.<p><strong>Up to 2.1 million</strong></p>.<p>China could see 1.3 million to 2.1 million people die if it lifts its zero-Covid policy due to low vaccination and booster rates as well as a lack of hybrid immunity, British scientific information and analytics company Airfinity said on Monday.</p>.<p>The company said it modelled its data on Hong Kong's BA.1 wave in February, which occurred after the city eased restrictions after two years.</p>