Lagatar24 Desk
Beijing, Dec.13: China has reported a rapid increase of COVID-19 cases in Zhejiang Province, with 138 locally-transmitted confirmed cases of Delta strain “sub-lineage AY.4”, causing officials to ban millions of people from travelling beyond the province.
138 locally-transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases and one asymptomatic carrier were documented in Zhejiang Province between December 5 and 12, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.
According to a report released by the province headquarters in Hangzhou on Sunday, 44 instances were reported in Ningbo, 77 cases in Shaoxing, and 17 cases in Hangzhou, the provincial capital.
The whole-genome sequencing and analysis revealed that the cases in the three cities were caused by the Delta strain sub-lineage AY.4, which is more transmissible and has a higher viral load than the original novel coronavirus, according to an official with the Zhejiang provincial centre for disease control and prevention.
To prevent the virus from spreading further, local officials have set limitations on public meetings and travel outside of the region, according to the report. The province has a population of 64.6 million people.
The National Health Commission of China said in a second report on Monday that the province had reported 74 new cases on Sunday alone. It’s unclear whether these are old or new cases.
On Monday, the Commission reported 80 incidents across China, with 74 in Zhejiang, five in Inner Mongolia, and one in Shaanxi.
The spike in coronavirus cases coincided with the start of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February 2022, creating concern among local officials.
China, which has practically halted international travel, has been reporting rare outbreaks of coronavirus, raising worries about the country’s zero-case policy.
Since the virus broke out in Wuhan in 2019, the overall number of verified COVID-19 infections on the mainland has risen to 99,780.
There were 1,381 patients still getting treatment, with 27 of them in critical condition. According to the data released Monday, a total of 93,763 patients have been discharged from mainland hospitals, with 4,636 of them dying as a result of the illness.
