Beijing, March 6 (BNA): The Chinese port city of Qingdao recorded 88 cases of novel coronavirus on March 5, all of them omicron, which has led to an increase in the number of locally transmitted cases per day in China so far this year.
The National Health Commission said on Sunday that China recorded 329 cases of novel coronavirus infection on the mainland on Saturday, of which 175 were local, compared to 102 local cases the day before.
The Qingdao Municipal Health Commission said the Qingdao outbreak was mainly among middle school students in Laixi County.
Laixi County will carry out a second round of mass testing on March 7, an official in Qingdao said at a press conference on Sunday, adding that there is little risk of further outbreak.
China’s “dynamic clearance” approach to COVID-19 aims to shut down transmission routes as soon as new cases are discovered.
The Qingdao outbreak helped send the total number of local confirmed cases in China to its highest level since December 31, with other cases reported mainly in Jilin, Guangdong and Hebei provinces, according to the National Health Commission.
The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, reached 209, compared to 166 the day before.
As of March 5, mainland China has confirmed 110,868 cases of COVID-19 and 4,636 deaths.
HF