BEIJING -- China sees low possibility of a large-scale COVID-19 epidemic outbreak in the country at the current stage, according to an expert with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC).

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases reported nationwide has been on the rise since mid-to-late April, according to official surveillance data, said Wang Liping, a researcher with the China CDC, adding the symptoms of the majority of confirmed cases reported are mild.

The COVID-19 Omicron XBB subvariants had developed into dominant subvariants in China as of early May, while there is no significant change in the pathogenicity of XBB subvariants, said Chen Cao, a researcher with the China CDC.