China's caseload reaches seven-month high as Delta variant wrecks havoc in country

In China, Coronavirus cases hit their highest level in seven months on Tuesday, August 10, after a cluster of the virus at a test site drove up enrollments. This comes as the Delta variant fends off Beijing's efforts to curb the spread. According to state media, the current outbreak is the most severe since the virus emerged in Wuhan in the central region of China. Local lockdowns are being enforced as well as mass testing and travel restrictions.

By reducing infections in the country to practically zero, authorities allowed the economic activity to rebound, although border restrictions had to be tightened. But now, cases are rising. A total of 143 new coronaviruses have been reported in China from Tuesday, 108 of which are locally transmitted.

Numerous cases have been reported in the past few days in connection with the Covid-19 testing site in Yangzhou, in eastern China. Many officials have been warned for rampant mishandling of mass testing, which spread the virus, according to authorities. "A small number of party members and cadres have yet to perform their duties properly", according to Yangzhou city authorities. Up to this point, 1.6 million samples have been collected in an effort to stop the spread of the disease.

Highest cases recorded since January

After a series of infections among airport cleaners in Nanjing, China, the latest outbreak has spread across the country. As of Tuesday, the number of new cases and domestic infections is at its highest since January, when 144 new cases and 126 domestic infections were recorded across the country.

Efforts are being made by authorities to instil confidence that the latest resurgence can be contained. Infectious diseases specialist Zhang Wenhong, quoted by the official Xinhua news agency, said that they had successfully contained the epidemic in Guangzhou and that the epidemic in Nanjing was being brought under control gradually.