A wave of hospitalizations due to human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is reportedly sweeping across China, with images of overcrowded hospitals raising concerns about a potential second global pandemic.

Users on the Chinese social media platform Weibo have noted a significant increase in respiratory illness cases over the past month.

The YouTube channel Decoding China has suggested that the current situation may be “worse than 2022,” when the Covid Omicron variant prompted strict lockdown measures and resulted in thousands of deaths in the country.

One widely shared video claims that patients aged 50 to 60 tested positive for the virus and subsequently developed pneumonia, requiring hospital treatment within three to five days.

According to Express News, HMPV is a respiratory illness that becomes more common in different countries at certain times of the year and shares many symptoms with COVID-19, including congestion, a fever and a persistent cough.

While most cases are mild and non-fatal, HMPV can cause pneumonia, bronchitis, and other health complications, especially for elderly and immunocompromised patients.

Weibo users have also posted an influx of concerning images showing hospitals packed out with masked patients, fuelling fears that the virus is spreading across the population and posing a Covid-like threat to the wider world.

While Chinese health officials have remained tight-lipped on the number of confirmed cases and deaths linked to the pathogen, a researcher at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said case numbers were on the downturn on Sunday.

“At present, the rate of positive cases in HMPV detection is fluctuating and the rate of positive cases in northern provinces is declining,” Wang Liping said during a press briefing by China’s National Health Commission, as reported by AP News.