China’s Delta outbreak reaches record daily high with 50 cases, most in Inner Mongolia
- The highly infectious variant was first reported less than two weeks ago and has now spread to 11 provinces and regions
- At least 13 domestic tour groups and other travellers have been linked to the growing case numbers
The health ministry said on Wednesday that 32 of the cases were identified in the country’s northern autonomous region of Inner Mongolia. All except one of the infections occurred in the border area of Alxa League. Four asymptomatic local cases were also recorded, which China does not count towards its official tally.
The outbreak has spread to 11 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in less than a fortnight, after seven tourists who travelled to the northwestern provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu as well as Inner Mongolia were found to be infected. At least 12 other domestic tour groups and other travellers on road trips have been linked to the spread, according to the National Health Commission (NHC).
Multiple local health authorities have said the genomic sequencing of the virus indicated it was of the more infectious Delta variant.
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“This wave was caused by the Delta variant of the virus, and some patients have had a high concentration of viral genetic material in their respiratory tracts. This shows it has a high viral load and strong infectivity, presenting a high risk in transmitting within exposed groups of people,” said Wu Liangyou, deputy director of the NHC’s disease control department.
