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China on brink of biggest Covid-19 crisis since Wuhan as cases surge
- After topping 1,000 for two days, number of locally transmitted cases around the country races to more than 3,100, mostly driven by Jilin province
- Shenzhen will suspend all public transport and carry out three rounds of citywide testing
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China is scrambling to address its most severe Covid-19 outbreak in two years, reporting soaring cases in a fresh wave that has seen the country tweak its zero-Covid policy by allowing rapid antigen tests (RATs) for public use.
After topping 1,000 for two days in a row, new locally transmitted cases surged to more than 3,100, this time driven by a spike in symptomatic infections, the National Health Commission reported on Sunday.
It came as 16 provinces reported new coronavirus infections, as did the four megacities of Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Chongqing.
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Local symptomatic cases more than tripled to 1,807, from 476 a day earlier, the NHC said. Asymptomatic infections edged up to 1,315, from 1,048 the previous day, after dominating the national caseload for the past few days.
China does not classify asymptomatic infections as confirmed cases.
02:15
China sees biggest Covid-19 surge in 2 years, steps up measures
China sees biggest Covid-19 surge in 2 years, steps up measures
Some local health authorities have attributed the surge to the Omicron variant, which is more transmissible but causes less severe symptoms than the original Covid-19 virus.
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