China reports over 1,300 confirmed, 25,000 asymptomatic virus cases

By Emre Aytekin

BEIJING (AA) – Amid a spiraling COVID-19 situation, China on Sunday reported over 1,300 confirmed coronavirus infections and more than 25,000 asymptomatic cases.

The National Health Commission (NHC) said 1,351 infections were confirmed over the past day, including nine in Shanghai, a city of 25 million that remains under a strict lockdown.

The financial hub accounted for 23,937 of the 25,111 asymptomatic cases reported across China over the past 24 hours, according to the daily NHC update.

Shanghai, China’s most populous city, is one of the regions hit worst in an unprecedented virus wave that saw the country record more than 100,000 infections in March alone.

Earlier this week, authorities extended the lockdown and restrictions in Shanghai for an indefinite period, and have been carrying out a citywide campaign to test its millions of residents.

No virus fatality was recorded in China over the past 24 hours, according to the NHC.

Over in Hong Kong, 2,535 new virus cases and 63 fatalities were reported.

A total of 8,492 deaths have been recorded in Hong Kong during the ongoing fifth virus wave driven by the omicron variant, read an update by the Health Protection Center.

The overall caseload in Hong Kong now stands at over 1.18 million, including 8,705 fatalities.