The Chinese mainland on Monday reported six new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, the National Health Commission said in its daily report on Tuesday.
Among the local cases, three each were reported in Jiangsu and Hubei.
Also reported were 36 new imported cases, including 15 in Yunnan, nine in Guangdong, seven in Shanghai, two in Guangxi, and one each in Shandong, Sichuan and Shaanxi.
No deaths related to COVID-19 were newly reported, the commission added.
With the upcoming return to school and a series of major events to be organized in some provinces in September, Ma Xiaowei, Director of China's National Health Commission, told media on Monday that China will strive to control the current COVID-19 epidemic by the end of August to get life back to normal as soon as possible.
Ma noted that the current wave of outbreaks are all caused by the Delta variant which is characterized by fast transmission and rapid replication, making it more difficult to prevent and control. Additionally, crowds gathering places such as scenic spots, chess rooms and construction sites play an amplifying role in the epidemic.
Ma mentioned that it is a relief that the current risk of the spread of the epidemic in China is generally controllable. As of August 14, 36 of the 48 cities with outbreaks have reported no new infections for more than six days, with only sporadic cases reported in the rest of the country. Yangzhou city, in East China's Jiangsu Province, is the exception with around a dozen locally transmitted cases still reported.
