Covid-19: China points to Omicron and high vaccination rates for rising asymptomatic infections

Name: Omicron spreads rapidly through Hong Kong care homes as city tops global Covid death rate
Uploaded: 2022-03-08T12:00:24.000Z
Duration: 4 min 13 s
Description: Omicron spreads rapidly through Hong Kong care homes as city tops global Covid death rate

NHC reports 505 new local infections, including 175 symptomatic cases and 330 without symptoms

Shanghai disease expert Zhang Wenhong says epidemic prevention efforts will be challenged as measures against the pandemic relax worldwide

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Students queue for Covid-19 nucleic acid tests at Qingdao Agricultural University on Monday in Qingdao, Shandong province. Photo: VCG via Getty Images)

Jack Lau

Published: 8:00pm, 8 Mar 2022Updated: 8:31pm, 8 Mar 2022

More than 500 community Covid-19 infections have been reported in mainland China for the second straight day, prompting cities to impose mass testing orders under the country’s zero-Covid strategy.

On Tuesday, the National Health Commission (NHC) reported 505 new local infections – 175 symptomatic cases and 330 without symptoms.

There were 46 new local cases reported in Jilin City and 45 in southern Guangdong province bordering Hong Kong.

The NHC also reported 243 new imported infections, a high tally by Chinese standards, including 130 that were asymptomatic.

Most Covid-19 infections in mainland China since mid-February have been concentrated in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and Guangdong, but since early March the outbreak has been more widespread.

China still maintains what it calls a dynamic zero-Covid policy, which does not aim to eliminate cases for good but to suppress them when they arise with mass testing and severe restrictions on movement.

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Omicron spreads rapidly through Hong Kong care homes as city tops global Covid death rate

Chinese President Xi Jinping said measures to prevent imported cases were a priority.