China reported more than 20,000 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, 6 April, and this is the highest daily tally registered since the beginning of the pandemic. Shanghai reportedly has the highest virus surge despite being locked down.
With this, China's "zero-COVID" strategy, which focuses on mass testing and lockdowns to ensure that even smallest cluster of infections don't lead to a wider outbreak, is under heavy pressure as number of cases keeps shooting up.
About a thousand cases have been recorded daily in the last few weeks. The highly transmissible Omicron variant has spread to more than a dozen provinces, officials said.
The country recorded 20,472 infections on Wednesday, the National Health Commission stated, while there were "no new deaths".
This is the country's highest daily tally given by authorities, since the peak of the first pandemic wave over two years ago.
A majority of the COVID cases are, however, asymptomatic.
What Is Happening in Shanghai?
In a city-wide surveillance campaign, the country's administration sent military and thousands of healthcare workers into Shanghai to help execute COVID-19 tests for all of its 26 million residents on Monday.
The city authorities have been following strict virus protocols, including separating infected children and babies from their parents who test negative, a policy which has resulted in anguish and anxiety amongst the people.
Shanghai is China's largest city, and has accounted for higher than 80 percent of the total tally, city officials stated.
A top city official admitted that the financial hub was "insufficiently prepared" for the outbreak, reported AFP.
The residents of the city have been agitated over lack of fresh food and curtailed movements are reportedly with the on-going lockdown. The state broadcaster CCTV reported that Shanghai will implement another round of virus tests of the entire population on Wednesday.
(With inputs from Agence France-Presse)
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