Acute respiratory infections trending downward

The spread of acute respiratory infectious diseases in China has been trending downward, Peng Zhibin, a researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Monday.

Influenza flu remains the primary pathogen in circulation and the nation is still in the middle of a flu epidemic season. However, the intensity of the virus' spread has declined, she said during a news conference held by the National Health Commission.

She added that the positivity rates of mycoplasma pneumoniae and other respiratory viruses are also decreasing and that of the COVID-19 remains at a low level.