China reported on Wednesday the most new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases since January as some cities stepped up restrictions, cut flights and increased testing to get to grips with an outbreak driven mainly by the Delta variant.
The travel restrictions and closures led Nomura to downgrade its July-September growth forecast for the world's second-largest economy, as well as its full-year prediction, saying China's zero-tolerance approach to the virus was becoming increasingly costly.
China has reported 485 locally transmitted cases with symptoms between July 20 and Aug. 3.
As of early Wednesday, 17 provinces, regions and municipalities have reported locally transmitted cases both with symptoms and without.
"At present, the global epidemic is rapidly intensifying and the risk of imported infections is increasing," said Mi Feng, spokesman at the National Health Commission on Wednesday.
"Recently, imported-related cases have been detected at many airports, ports and hospitals, resulting in a spread (of infections) of a certain scale," Mi told reporters.
China now has 144 areas deemed to be high or medium-risk, the most since the peak of the epidemic in the spring of 2020. Authorities have cancelled trains to Beijing from riskier areas, with high-risk areas subject to the toughest containment measures.
China reported 71 new domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases for Aug. 3, the highest daily tally since Jan. 30. The number of cases has increased for five consecutive days since July 30.
