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China’s daily Covid-19 cases hit numbers not seen since 2020
- More than 1,000 locally acquired coronavirus cases surpass tallies seen in early days of outbreak two years ago
- Spike driven by asymptomatic infections as more transmissible Omicron variant spreads
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China has logged its highest daily Covid-19 case count since its first national outbreak in 2020, with more than 1,000 new locally acquired coronavirus cases reported, as local authorities scramble to tackle outbreaks across the country.
The spike was driven by asymptomatic infections, with three cities, Qingdao on the east coast, Dongguan in the south and Jilin in the northeast, accounting for most of the 703 such cases reported, China’s National Health Commission announced on Friday.
Another 397 locally transmitted cases displayed symptoms. The Chinese health authority only classifies symptomatic cases as confirmed.
The daily tally was small compared to those of other major economies, but China deploys mass testing and severe restrictions on movement and transport as part of its dynamic zero-Covid policy to stamp out transmission.
In all, 221 new asymptomatic infections were reported for Qingdao, more than twice the 103 symptomatic cases. The outbreak centred on the county-level administrative division of Laixi, where a surge in asymptomatic cases was caused by the Omicron variant, which is more transmissible but causes less severe symptoms than the original Covid-19 virus.
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Seventeen Laixi officials have been reprimanded or dismissed for mishandling the outbreak, the Qingdao disciplinary commission said late on Thursday. Laixi deputy mayor Wu Haibo was warned and reassigned to another post, while mayor Liu Ying and local Communist Party chief Zhou Ke received warnings.
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