The number of new COVID-19 cases in China more than doubled from the previous day as the country is dealing with its worst outbreak since the early days of the pandemic.
The National Health Commission reported that Three thousand 507 new cases of local spread have been identified in the last 24 hours, compared to 1,337 infections the day before.
A highly contagious variant known as “stealth omicron” has tested the Chinese government’s zero-tolerance strategy, which had previously managed to keep the virus in check after an initial deadly outbreak in early 2020.
Most of the new cases were recorded in Jilin province in northeastern China, where two thousand 601 infections were reported. Other smaller outbreaks have been registered in different parts of the country, including in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.