This photo taken on January 10, 2023 shows an ethnic Blang woman sitting in Wengji village on Jingmai mountain in Pu'er City in southwest China's Yunnan Province. - Covid-19 swept swiftly through remote villages in the rugged mountains of southern China last month, but the wave now appears to have subsided -- supporting expert theories the disease was spreading even while hardline restrictions were in place. (Photo by Noel CELIS / AFP) (Photo by NOEL CELIS/AFP via Getty Images)
![This photo taken on January 10, 2023 shows an ethnic Blang woman sitting in Wengji village on Jingmai mountain in Pu'er City in southwest China's Yunnan Province. - Covid-19 swept swiftly through remote villages in the rugged mountains of southern China last month, but the wave now appears to have subsided -- supporting expert theories the disease was spreading even while hardline restrictions were in place. (Photo by Noel CELIS / AFP) (Photo by NOEL CELIS/AFP via Getty Images)](https://embed-cdn.gettyimages.com/id/1246348147/photo/china-health-virus-rural.jpg?s=594x594&w=0&k=20&c=yAcH8O-hQ0SCh31rLHOmFBdAzMaDB0Be0P5j6yrtU_M=&Expires=1722128400&Key-Pair-Id=APKAIJLYLGZE3LWJLKRA&Signature=tZbF6~gEarB7IpeiV88pn2Hg~2XXE9DnmamoOQlqp0tu1sB~pJFtAXhQ~xmI7EJEwTu-5SK~iFJ-rXB2q3Rt4fRNGGZ18ehIKvVHocy3UarzBwBLcJBHLl3hl4GJlq2ms4R5N4sixz0W~ne~0-Ki80KY1WVpfHUr1D3vCtYIA-4LQPIYRsoHgnC9H0uO2HGU4ChcPvDsjDePJSYGY9FSO4KA81B2iIdPAl5MWLAI9C3vzwctPrEp3RPfiEI5-J0JnnqrGsGyF7uMdKcUVBMg4C4U9i43okwUVIs70xWL-VHiKlxpvXV0apQEWhaPzomT7AOUNBFBRkE-soZ3OSYeJ1uLq01CpUsDk4Q6cdTIjmHKN~vRPtun1~36zVLjtFYgrazBBscnjQyEDz9Ln12iFUtsx1MIjfpq-HMBQDAFVXy7OKhu~98gu2ZXxMbVgcnyVZa8BmrQCbWnQ4kAKNrmIfspLGz5-N7~INdMRLFJLCdK8EBcJ4-RYD4Z9rTjFfIVHVQJZTJRBtHWhFyL7FxJGJWKCfGoyXzbwYP84fW4obFVd5DQjOAhYfWSH1BMycCb7hG098CBfQsqIgef~sWTWUSb0hGvevpVllOU2MdAblZgKe09bkI1wKUFnRPWolPy86P2j7mQNwZZsgc86jgE~LkmVhkf-o~MnS2dRXNPsWE_)