COVID-19 Positivity Rates Across Sentinel Hospitals in China Reaches 16.3 Percent as PQ16.1.1 Variants Spreads
Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Jul 28, 2026 1 hour, 8 minutes ago
Medical News:
COVID-19 Becomes China's Leading Respiratory Pathogen
China is witnessing a renewed rise in COVID-19 activity, with the virus overtaking influenza as the leading respiratory pathogen for the first time this year.
COVID-19 regains dominance in China as PQ16.1.1 drives a sharp rise in nationwide positivity rates
According to surveillance data released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), COVID-19 positivity rates among influenza-like illness patients at nationwide sentinel hospitals reached 16.3 percent during epidemiological week 29 (July 13-19, 2026), representing a sharp 4.3 percentage-point increase from the previous week. The surge is being driven largely by the spread of the PQ16.1.1 SARS-CoV-2 variant, which authorities have classified as circulating at a moderate transmission level.
Nationwide Surveillance Reveals Growing COVID-19 Activity
This
Medical News report highlights findings from China's nationwide sentinel surveillance network, which monitors respiratory infections by testing samples from outpatient, emergency, and hospitalized severe acute respiratory infection patients for ten respiratory pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, influenza viruses, respiratory syncytial virus, rhinovirus, adenovirus, enteroviruses, human metapneumovirus, parainfluenza virus, common coronaviruses, bocavirus, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
COVID-19 recorded the highest positivity rate among outpatient influenza-like illness cases at 16.3 percent, surpassing influenza at 12.6 percent and enteroviruses at 6.8 percent. Among hospitalized severe respiratory infection patients, COVID-19 also ranked first at 5.9 percent, followed by rhinovirus at 5.3 percent and influenza at 5.0 percent. Although COVID-19 hospital positivity declined slightly by one percentage point from the previous week, community transmission continued to accelerate.
Southern China Bears the Highest Burden
The surveillance data revealed marked regional differences. Southern provinces recorded substantially higher COVID-19 activity than northern regions, where rhinovirus remained the dominant respiratory pathogen. Overall influenza-like illness accounted for 4.5 percent of outpatient and emergency visits nationwide, with southern provinces reporting 5.9 percent, more than double the 2.8 percent observed in northern provinces.
Age-specific analysis also showed COVID-19 positivity was highest among individuals aged 15-59 years, while the virus remained the leading detected pathogen in both children aged 0-4 years and adults aged 60 years and older. Influenza B continued circulating predominantly among children aged 5-14 years.
Other Respiratory Viruses Continue Circulating
While COVID-19 expanded, influenza activity continued declining toward inter-seasonal levels, particularly in northern China. Enterovirus positivity fell to 6.8 percent, rhinovirus declined to 5.7 percent, h
uman metapneumovirus measured 4.3 percent, parainfluenza virus 3.6 percent, while respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, bocavirus, common coronaviruses, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae all remained at relatively low detection rates.
Health authorities emphasized that no previously unknown pathogens or emerging infectious diseases were identified. During June alone, mainland China reported approximately 79,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 130 severe infections and one death, suggesting that although transmission is increasing, severe disease remains comparatively limited.
Public Health Authorities Urge Continued Vigilance
Chinese health officials continue recommending mask use in healthcare facilities, crowded indoor settings, and public transportation, particularly for older adults and individuals with chronic medical conditions. Good hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette, adequate ventilation, healthy lifestyles, and isolation for vulnerable populations remain central recommendations as respiratory viruses continue circulating unpredictably during the summer months. Experts believe widespread use of air-conditioned indoor environments during hot weather is creating enclosed transmission conditions resembling those traditionally seen during winter, allowing both COVID-19 and influenza viruses to spread more efficiently despite seasonal expectations.
Rather than signaling the emergence of a new public health emergency, the latest surveillance findings indicate that COVID-19 has re-established itself as China's dominant circulating respiratory virus during mid-summer. The rapid increase in outpatient positivity, combined with the widespread circulation of the PQ16.1.1 variant and its predominance across southern provinces and working-age adults, underscores the importance of continued surveillance, vaccination of vulnerable populations, and adherence to preventive measures to minimize further transmission while monitoring for any changes in disease severity or viral evolution.
Reference: (China’s CDC Report)
https://www.chinacdc.cn/jksj/jksj04_14275/202607/t20260723_1838357.html
For the latest COVID-19 news, keep on logging to Thailand
Medical News.
Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/coronavirus
Share
Tweet
Share
