BEIJING, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- The possibility of a new wave of the COVID-19 epidemic is low in China in the coming months, as the immune protection of the country's population remains relatively high after a nationwide virus outbreak, said a Chinese health expert on Thursday.

There is also a low possibility of a large-scale and concentrated epidemic in the short term, Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a press conference.

No new mutant strains of the virus that are significantly more transmissible, pathogenic and immune-evasive have been detected in China since the start of this year, according to official data.

In the future, the epidemic may occur intermittently and regionally for some time, infecting certain groups of people, Wu said, adding that the virus has continued to mutate over the past three years, making it more contagious but less pathogenic. ■