The fast-spreading Delta variant seems to have broken through China's Covid defences as the country battles its worst outbreak since the virus first emerged there in late 2019.

On Wednesday, China reported its highest daily number of local coronavirus cases in months at 71. The number of new cases has been increasing for five consecutive days since July 30.

Mass testing and contact tracing campaigns have uncovered a trail of Delta variant infections.
The highly transmissible Delta variant, which was first identified in India, has been detected in more than a dozen Chinese cities, including capital Beijing, since late July.

China has reported 485 locally transmitted cases with symptoms between July 20 and August 3, although it's not immediately clear how many involve the Delta variant.

As of early Wednesday, 17 provinces, regions and municipalities have reported locally transmitted cases both with symptoms and without.

Chinese officials admit that curbing the latest outbreak will be much harder than the others, owing to the fast and asymptomatic spread of the Delta variant.

The initial Delta infection arrived via an overseas flight from Moscow into the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing in mid-July.

Seven passengers on the flight were infected with the variant. It subsequently spread on to a group of airport cleaning staff with nine of them testing positive on July 20.

#DeltaVariant #Covid19 #China

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