Global disease experts say little is known about China's experience with long-term COVID effects thought to have afflicted millions with debilitating fatigue, brain fog and other symptoms
"I believe it will definitely pose some challenge to our efforts to prevent and control the virus, but as China has experience in preventing and controlling the coronavirus, I fully believe that China will be able to host the Winter Olympics as scheduled, smoothly and successfully," Zhao said.
Beijing is set to stage the Games from Feb. 4 to Feb. 20, without foreign spectators and with all athletes and related personnel contained in a "closed-loop" and subject to daily testing for COVID-19.
Under its "zero-COVID" policy, China has had what are among the world's strictest COVID-19 prevention measures.