China records highest daily COVID-19 cases in current outbreak
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Chinese officials have ramped up testing on a mass scale even as millions have been put on lockdown amid the surge in Delta variant cases.
China recorded the highest daily COVID-19 cases in its current wave with 124 new locally transmitted coronavirus cases.
The health authorities said at least 80 cases were locally transmitted which was more than 62 recorded a day earlier.
Eastern Jiangsu province reported a surge in virus cases with new infections reported in Yangzhou. On Wednesday, authorities had reported 85 new cases nationwide down from 96 a day earlier but the number of cases increased on Thursday.
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Chinese authorities have curbed overseas travel for citizens in order to combat the virus with stay-at-home orders in places in some cities.
China's vice premier Sun Chunlan said the virus spread remained uncertain while exhorting officials to fight the virus vigorously.
The country has reported at least 500 new coronavirus cases since mid-July as lockdowns have been ordered in several cities across the country.
Nanjing's Jiangsu province has become the epicentre of the virus. The authorities have tested Nanjing residents three times while ordering gyms and cinemas to close as testing has been ramped up on a mass scale.
Shanghai also reported new cases as the Delta variant continues to surge in the country.
Health officials recently tested the entire population of Wuhan where the virus first emerged in 2019 as the city reported new cases in over a year.
China's capital Beijing also reported three new virus cases on Wednesday.
China has so far recorded 93,498 coronavirus cases since last year with the death toll reaching 4,636. The virus cases continued to surge worldwide surpassing 200 million as vaccination drive in several countries continues to lag behind.
The World Health Organization(WHO) has called for booster doses to be slowed down in order to allow countries with low vaccinations to be fully inoculated.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: "We need an urgent reversal, from the majority of vaccines going to high-income countries, to the majority going to low-income countries."
The US government said it plans to go ahead with booster doses for those with low immunity as Germany, Israel and France have already begun their booster dose campaign.
(With inputs from Agencies)