For three consecutive weeks, the novel coronavirus has been the top cause of flu-like illnesses in outpatient clinics. Experts say it is within a controllable range.

In the past two months, we have indeed seen a certain upward trend in COVID-19 infections. However, this change has not reached a significant scale, but has remained within a relatively reasonable and controllable range. On May 12, several infectious disease experts from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan and other places told reporters that it is important to note that for most young people, COVID-19 infections usually resolve on their own within 3 to 5 days, but the elderly still face risks of severe illness and should not take it lightly after being infected. The National Center for Disease Control and Prevention of China reported on May 8 that in the April 2025 national surveillance of acute respiratory infections, the positivity rate of COVID-19 in flu-like cases seen in the emergency department increased from 7.5% to 16.2%; in severe acute respiratory infection cases hospitalized, the positivity rate of COVID-19 increased from 3.3% to 6.3%. From April 14 to May 4, within three weeks, the novel coronavirus surpassed influenza as the most common cause of flu-like cases in the emergency department.