Covid-19 cases in China peak in 21 months after Xian . outbreak

a China Report largest daily increase in local cases COVID-19 In 21 months, infections have more than doubled in the northwestern city of Xi’an, the country’s newest epicenter of coronavirus transmission.

The city of 13 million people, which entered the fourth day of the closure, detected last Saturday (25) 155 cases of local transmission with confirmed symptoms, compared to 75 cases the day before, according to official data issued on Sunday.

This brings the national daily number to 158, the highest number since China managed to contain the nationwide outbreak in early 2020.

Xian, with 485 domestic symptomatic cases reported from December 9-25, imposed strict measures to contain the outbreak, in line with Beijing’s policy that any outbreak should be contained as quickly as possible.

The city was able to quickly detect these cases through three rounds of mass testing, He Wenquan, an official in Xi’an, said at a press conference on Sunday, adding that a large number of cases may continue in the coming days.

“In order to quickly trace groups of infected people, after expert analysis, we will intensify control measures in key areas, especially in places with a higher level of risk,” Wenquan said.

The local government also announced that it will launch a citywide disinfection campaign starting at 6 p.m. local time, asking residents to close their windows and bring clothes or other items from their balconies.

Residents cannot leave the city without the approval of their employers or local authorities, and several rounds of group testing have been conducted to identify cases.

The city has not yet announced any infections with the Ômicron variant, although Chinese authorities have reported many infections with the new variant among international travelers and in southern China.

Including imported cases, mainland China confirmed 206 new cases as of December 25, up from 140 the day before.

No new deaths were reported, bringing the cumulative number of deaths to 4,636. Mainland China had 101,077 confirmed cases as of December 25.