From the New York Times today......
China is facing its biggest coronavirus outbreak since the early days of the pandemic, with more than 800 new cases reported over the weekend — almost as many as were reported altogether during the previous week.
Most of the new infections have been fueled by the Omicron variant, which has been identified in nearly a dozen major cities, including Shanghai, Xi’an, Suzhou, Qingdao and Wenzhou. A few cases of the Delta variant have been reported near China’s borders with Mongolia and Myanmar.
“Right now the epidemic situation is severe and complex, with many uncertain factors,” said Wu Jinglei, the director of the Shanghai Health Commission.
The current surge, while smaller than recent waves in other countries like the United States, Germany and South Korea, is the biggest challenge to date to China’s “zero Covid” policy.
The rise of infections, including new cases reported over the weekend in 17 of China’s 31 provinces, has occurred as China’s leaders have gathered in Beijing for the National People’s Congress.