China's National Health Commission said 3,507 new locally spread cases had been identified in the latest 24-hour period, up from 1,337 a day earlier.
A fast-spreading variant known as 'Stealth Omicron' – the B.A.2 lineage of the Omicron variant – is testing China’s zero-tolerance strategy, which has previously kept the virus at bay after a deadly initial outbreak in early 2020.
Most of the new cases were in north-east China’s Jilin province, where 2,601 were reported. Smaller outbreaks have occurred around the country, including in the major cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.
At the weekend, China’s government responded to a spike in coronavirus infections by shutting down the southern business centre and manufacturing hub of Shenzhen, a city of 17.5 million people, and restricted access to Shanghai by suspending bus services.
Everyone in Shenzhen, the finance and technology centre next to Hong Kong, will now undergo three rounds of...