The huge jump in the official Covid death toll follows global criticism of the reliability of Beijing’s figures

A leading health expert predicts the post-reopening surge in cases will be fuelled by the Lunar New Year migration spreading the virus to rural areas

The global health body fears the migration of millions from cities to rural areas will pour fuel on an already economically damaging virus wave

Thousands of young workers clashed with police on Saturday during a protest to demand wages after they were laid off without pay by the heads of a Covid test-kit factory in southwest China

China makes retaliatory strike against South Korea and Japan over their 'discriminatory' entry restrictions on people from the mainland, amid global concern about huge Covid outbreak

CEO Albert Bourla said the group was discussing the price for Pfizer's branded product Paxlovid, not a licence to produce a generic version of its medicine for use there

Thailand has scrapped a new requirement that tourists have to show proof of Covid vaccinations, which enraged tourism operators days before Chinese visitors were due to return

Many people expressed relief that the government had finally eased restrictions that prevented them from travelling for the last three years

CanSino Biologics has begun making an mRNA booster that targets Covid Omicron variants, which are responsible for the majority of infections that have swept across China recently

Beijing is under pressure to finalise a licensing deal on production of Paxlovid before the Lunar New Year, when millions of Chinese will travel to rural areas to visit their families

More countries around the world are, meanwhile, demanding that visitors from China take Covid tests as the country battles a ‘tidal wave’ of infections

China will also open up its international borders on Sunday, with travellers not being forced to quarantine for the first time since 2020