On Friday, China reported another 80 domestically transmitted cases of COVID-19, as the country tries to contain the worst flare-up since the original 2019 epidemic with a mix of lockdowns, mass testing, and travel restrictions.
The highly contagious delta form spread among airport employees in the provincial capital of Nanjing, resulting in 58 additional cases in the eastern city of Yangzhou in Jiangsu province. Other instances were discovered in six provinces, ranging from tropical Hainan in the south to the Russian border state of Inner Mongolia.
Since the middle of last month, the number of illnesses connected to the Nanjing epidemic has risen to at least 1,222, triggering additional travel restrictions, community lockdowns, and the closure of a 1.5-million-person metropolis.
Following local outbreaks, such measures have been implemented with great success as part of China’s zero-tolerance approach to the pandemic, though they are seen as having a significant impact on society and the economy, prompting speculation that a new approach may be required that allows the virus to circulate to a manageable degree.
China claims to have given out over 1.6 billion vaccination doses, however the effectiveness of the local vaccines has been questioned.
According to the National Health Commission, another 44 imported cases were recorded on Friday, and 1,370 patients are being treated for COVID-19, 34 of them are in critical condition.
Out of 93,498 verified cases, China has recorded 4,636 fatalities.