Zhong Nanshan, the leading expert in China's respiratory disease research field, recently urged residents not to panic following a surge in reported COVID-19 cases nationwide.

Zhong, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said the new round of COVID-19 cases can be prevented and controlled.

Zhong predicts that the outbreak is still at the climbing stage and is expected to end by the end of June after lasting 6-8 weeks. He said the current strain XDV is still highly contagious, but its pathogenicity is relatively weak.

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However, Zhong maintains that certain dangers do exist for those over 65 years old with underlying diseases. "Taking Hong Kong as an example, more than 83 percent of the reported COVID-19 death cases were among people aged 65 and above, and over 90 percent of them had complications," he said.

Zhong urged infected individuals to take relevant medicine within the first 48 hours to avoid developing severe symptoms.

According to monitoring data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, from March 31 to May 4, the COVID-19 positivity rate among outpatient and emergency influenza-like cases nationwide increased from 7.5 percent to 16.2 percent, while the positivity rate of hospitalized cases also increased from 3.3 percent to 6.3 percent.

Similar monitoring data from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Singapore, the United Kingdom, France, Brazil, and Norway all indicated increasing cases of COVID-19 from March to early May, said Zhong.

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Zhong is the winner of the Medal of the Republic, China's highest honor for outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to the country.