China reports 109 new COVID-19 cases as infections persist in northeast

BEIJING: China reported more than 100 new COVID-19 cases for the sixth consecutive day, with rising infections in the northeast fuelling concerns of another national wave ahead of a major holiday season.

The National Health Commission said in a statement on Monday (Jan 18) that a total of 109 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Sunday, unchanged from a day earlier. Of the 93 local infections, 54 were reported in Hebei province that surrounds Beijing. 

Northeastern Jilin province reported a record 30 new cases, underscoring the risk of new clusters emerging.

READ: China says latest COVID-19 outbreak caused by imported cases

Daily increases still remain a fraction of what the country saw at the height of the outbreak in early 2020, but authorities are implementing an aggressive package of measures, including the lockdown of more than 28 million people in order to keep the disease from bringing the country to another standstill.

Beijing city, which reported two new local infections, will begin requiring travellers from abroad to undergo health monitoring for seven additional days following 21 days of medical observation, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.

The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, fell to 115 cases from 119 cases a day earlier.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in mainland China is 89,336, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,635.

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