Beijing: A prominent epidemiologist and health economist has said hospitals in China have been completely overwhelmed amid rising COVID-19 cases in the country.

Eric Feigl-Ding said he estimates that 60 percent of Chinese population and 10 percent of Earth's population are likely to be infected over the next 90 days.

He said deaths might be in millions.

Meanwhile, authorities in the Chinese city of Chongqing have said public sector employees testing positive for Covid-19 can go to work “as normal".

The move is seen as a transformation since the city was witnessing strict COVID-19 restrictions amid infection surge.

China is currently relaxing COVID restrictions for the past several days amid protests.

“Asymptomatic and mildly ill employees of the (Communist Party) and government organizations at all levels, enterprises and institutions can go to work normally after taking protective measures as necessary for their health status and job requirements,” the Chongqing pandemic response office said in a statement published on the municipal government’s website as quoted by CNN.

It added that government agencies would no longer check employees – including police, public school teachers and other workers – for daily negative Covid tests. Instead, authorities will shift the focus of work from preventing infection to health protection and preventing severe disease, it said.

Chongqing is one of China's largest cities with 32 million residents.