Key points:- About 88.5 million people in Henan have been infected, according to a senior official- China's National Health Commission on Sunday reported 7,072 new confirmed cases of local transmission and two new deaths- Authorities expect cases to soar as millions travel to see family as part of Lunar New Year celebrationsKan Quancheng, director of the health commission for central Henan province, said "as of January 6, 2023, the province's COVID infection rate is 89.0 per cent."Beijing is determined to press on with its reopening, on Sunday lifting mandatory quarantine for all international arrivals and opening its border with the semi-autonomous southern city of Hong Kong.Despite the risk of new infections, the reopening that will allow tens of thousands of people who have made prior online bookings to cross each day is expected to provide a much-needed boost to Hong Kong's tourism and retail sectors.But with Beijing having last month narrowed the definition of COVID deaths, permitted people with mild symptoms to test themselves and convalesce at home and mass testing no longer compulsory, its data is no longer reflective of the true scale of the outbreak.China's vulnerabilities have been increased by the population's general lack of exposure to the virus and a relatively low vaccination rate among the elderly."