HONG KONG – Chinese health authorities have stepped up efforts to counter the resurgence of coronavirus cases, as the country is facing the worst eruption since the pandemic erupted there early last year.
Cities in the northern provinces of Hebei, Heilongjiang and Jilin have built temporary quarantine facilities, imposed measures to block millions of residents and launched city-level testing rounds.
Meanwhile, armies of volunteers dressed in protective gear have expanded into the affected areas, disinfecting empty streets and shops, according to state media reports.
On Wednesday, health officials in Beijing said they found the most contagious version of the virus in Britain in the samples of two patients who tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday.
Since the current wave of cases in mid-December, health authorities have discovered about 1,500 symptomatic cases of Covid-19, most of which were local infections. China considers both symptomatic and asymptomatic cases, but includes only the first in its official number.