The pathogenicity of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has weakened significantly, making it a flu-like disease, said a renowned Chinese respiratory expert this week.

Zhong Nanshan, an academician with Chinese Academy of Engineering, said during an event held in Guangzhou, Guangdong province on Tuesday, that there is no need to panic about this wave of COVID-19 infections in China.

The spread of COVID-19 disease in China has accelerated since March. Data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the positivity rate of COVID-19 disease among influenza-like illnesses was 22.8 percent during the seven-day period starting on May 25.

Zhong said that although the virus appears to be highly contagious, it is less capable of causing severe symptoms.

For those with underlying diseases and the elderly, it is important to identify the virus that infects them and deliver targeted treatment.

Zhong said that the virus will continue to exist and cause periodic small outbreaks. Like the flu, the novel coronavirus poses a more severe risk to those with weak immune systems.