Too early to label Omicron infections as 'big flu:' leading Chinese expert

The goal of this approach is to bring the epidemic under control in the shortest possible time with a minimum cost to society.

"If we do not pursue dynamic elimination of each sporadic outbreak, it will eventually evolve into a large-scale resurgence," he noted.

China has experienced a resurgence of COVID-19 since March with some provinces seeing a rapidly rising number of infections.

From March 1 to 18, more than 29,000 local infections were reported in 28 provincial-level regions across the Chinese mainland. More than 95 percent of COVID-19 patients in the latest outbreak have been mild or asymptomatic cases, NHC data showed.

The Chinese mainland on Sunday reported 1,947 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and 2,384 new local asymptomatic cases.

"The latest resurgence in China does not mean that the country's COVID-19 response policy and measures are ineffective," Liang said.

The infections increased exponentially in many countries and regions in a short period of time since the Omicron variants rage across the world. "However, China has witnessed a slower increase in the number of infections, which is precisely because we have taken a series of effective intervention measures to curb the virus," he added.