Amid surge in Covid-19, China registers 1,629 fresh infections

Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, China on Tuesday reported 1,629 new coronavirus cases, the National Health Commission's Wednesday report showed.

Out of 1,629 infections, 1,565 were locally transmitted cases and 64 were imported COVID-19 cases, reported Xinhua.

Of the new local infections, 1,150 were reported in Jilin, 326 in Shanghai, 26 in Henan, and 16 in Heilongjiang.

The rest of the cases were reported in 15 other provincial-level regions, according to the commission.

A total of 64 imported COVID-19 cases were reported Tuesday, said the commission. It added that two suspected cases arriving from outside the mainland were reported in Shanghai and no new deaths from COVID-19 were reported on the day.

Meanwhile, China's much-publicised 'zero-covid' strategy that the government credited for bringing the country out of the pandemic till recently is falling apart as the rapidly mounting cases are again forcing mass lockdowns like those seen in 2020.

Amid growing resentment over the stringent measures towards the zero-COVID policy by the authorities, the Chinese public has been taking to social media platforms to express their frustration and discontentment.

Netizens have been complaining that excessive measures such as the imposition of complete lockdown and frequent and expansive tests have been causing widespread suffering, including financial/economic loss, reported local media.

China has clung to a zero-tolerance approach to the virus that relies on stringent lockdowns, mass testing and quarantine in government facilities.

Earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping has said that Beijing will stick to its "zero Covid-19" policy, days after National Health Commission (NHC) released new guidelines easing its control measures.

NHC had uploaded a new document on its website. Titled the Novel Coronavirus Diagnosis And Treatment Plan, it was the ninth revision to a document setting out the COVID-19 policy for the country of 1.4 billion.

China's zero-COVID policy is pushing cash-strapped local governments to the brink amid rising health care costs and efforts to control debt.