China's Xi'an reports 46 local COVID-19 cases

Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, reported 46 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Friday, local media reported citing authorities as saying on Saturday.

The city has registered 1,959 local cases since December 9, 2021, amid the latest resurgence. Of that number, 180 had recovered by Saturday, Xinhua reported.

It further reported that Xi'an downgraded the classifications of five areas from medium-risk for COVID-19 to low-risk.

The city currently has a total of three high-risk areas and 55 medium-risk areas, according to Lyu Yongpeng, deputy director of the city's health commission.

Lyu said that Xi'an will gradually lift its lockdown according to research conducted by experts and the central authorities.

Xi'an was placed under strict lockdown orders on December 23 in a drastic bid to contain the spread of a fast-growing COVID cluster.

But in the days and weeks since, a steady stream of complaints about food shortages, as well as heart-breaking scenes of critical patients -- including heavily pregnant women -- being denied medical care have shocked the nation, CNN reported.

( With inputs from ANI )

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