Virus may hit hard in winter

BEIJING: The novel coronavirus may strike harder this winter, dampening the outlook for a return to a normal life and underscoring the need to gear up for a protracted war against the disease, experts said.

Despite the increased risk, the epidemic situation that played out in Hubei province earlier this year will not be repeated in China, as the country has proved that regional outbreaks can be suppressed with swift and targeted control measures – a response that the rest of the world could refer to, they added.