The southern Chinese tech hub Shenzhen was put under a citywide lockdown Sunday, the local government announced, after it reported 66 new coronavirus cases and sealed off the central business district.
China should aim to co-exist with the virus and could move away from its zero-Covid strategy "in the near future," a top Chinese scientist said in a possible sign that the country's leadership is rethinking its strict approach.
China on Saturday said it had given "conditional" approval for Pfizer's Covid-19 drug Paxlovid to treat adults with mild to moderate illness and a high risk of developing severe disease.
Organisers of the Beijing Winter Olympics are confident current coronavirus containment measures are sufficient and no lockdowns are planned for the capital or the neighbouring province of Hebei.
The northern Chinese city of Tianjin tightened exit controls and is requiring residents to obtain approval from employers or community authorities before leaving town in an effort to block the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.