China reports 1,818 new local COVID-19 cases, 48 deaths

The Chinese mainland reported 1,818 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and 48 deaths in the past 24 hours, said the National Health Commission on Wednesday.

Of the new local cases, 1,606 were reported in Shanghai, while the rest of the cases were reported in 16 other provincial-level regions on the mainland, including 56 in Jiangxi, 51 in Jilin, and 31 in Beijing, Xinhua reported citing the commission.

The country also reported 12,404 locally transmitted asymptomatic infections of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, of which 11,956 local asymptomatic carriers were identified in Shanghai.

While 3,728 COVID-19 patients recovered in the past 24 hours, as many as 26,774 people are undergoing treatment in hospitals across the country.

With 48 COVID-19 fatalities, all in Shanghai, reported in the past 24 hours, the country's death toll mounted to 4,876, Xinhua reported.

Meanwhile, as the COVID-19 outbreak continues to spread in more and more cities in China, questions are mounting over the country's zero covid policy.

The country's much-publicized "zero-covid" strategy that the government credited for bringing the country out of the pandemic till recently is falling apart as the rapidly mounting cases are again forcing mass lockdowns like those seen in 2020.

Moreover, China's financial hub, Shanghai, has been facing the worst COVID-19 outbreak and has been desperately seeking medical care and basic supplies like food.

( With inputs from ANI )

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