By Li Muzi

China’s flu outbreak is intensifying, with multiple provinces moving into high-transmission periods.

Beijing has now officially entered its peak flu season, and doctors say the virus is spreading beyond school-aged children to university students and working adults.

Officials identify H3N2 as the dominant strain, but many Chinese netizens insist the outbreak “is actually COVID-19.”

State media report that patient numbers at Beijing Children’s Hospital have risen steadily since November.

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To manage the load, the hospital has opened additional day, evening, and overnight shifts, and its online consultation service now sees about 350 patients each night.

Doctors warn that although the current wave began with middle and primary school students, infections are now spreading across universities and workplaces and may soon affect older age groups.

National flu positivity nears 45 percent

Data from China’s CDC on Nov. 27 show flu positivity rates approaching 45 percent among outpatient cases nationwide.

 Several provinces have moved from “mid-level” to “high-level” transmission.

Parents across China report chaotic scenes:

As the outbreak worsens, frustration has turned to suspicion.

Some netizens write:

A widely shared video on X claims that “COVID is back in China,” showing packed emergency rooms, widespread school closures, and a rise in sudden deaths among young adults.

A doctor in Shandong is heard saying: “The 2025 COVID wave has arrived.”

Others describe symptoms identical to China’s mass infection period in late 2022.

Reports of ‘white lung’ in children

Parents in multiple regions say some children are developing severe pneumonia, including “white lung,” within a single day of fever onset.
There are confirmed pediatric deaths, raising further fears that this is not a typical flu season.

Netizens continue to question the official narrative:

A widening credibility gap

Across Beijing and other cities, crowded hospitals and fast-spreading infections are deepening public distrust.

Original article
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