That’s already happening and it was the more mild omicron strain causing the latest lockdowns and the resurgence.
Their lockdowns are politically motivated: saving face because they prematurely declared victory, and a need to avoid dependence on western vaccines due to the ineffectiveness of their own vaccines—the latter really just a roundabout way to save face.
If you understood Chinese culture, you’d know that saving face is pretty important and makes you do crazy things.