More than 20 provincial-level regions in the Chinese mainland have reported locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, and daily caseloads have begun to tick up in recent days. Epidemiologists said this new wave is challenging the coping ability of more inland and small cities, which are not as well equipped as metropolises, and emerging subvariants of Omicron further press anti-virus efforts as they spread faster and are harder to detect.
The Chinese mainland has registered over 400 domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases every day for five consecutive days. Previously, from July 2 to 11, over 300 cases were reported every day. Some 199 confirmed cases and 539 silent carriers were reported on Tuesday.