evidence: WASHINGTON — The "upsurge" in respiratory illness in China is not from "a new or novel pathogen," the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reassured members of Congress on Thursday. [...] Chinese authorities have attributed the uptick to the lifting of many of the strictest pandemic restrictions late last year, with this year marking the first full flu season since the end of the country's "zero-Covid" policies. Such a surge in respiratory illnesses is characteristic of other countries that have lifted strict Covid restrictions, including Australia and New Zealand.