China sees largest daily toll from Covid since July as the World Health Organization prepares to travel | Corona Virus

China The highest total of infections in one day in more than five months were recorded, according to the National Health Commission, with three cities locked down in an attempt to prevent another wave of infections in the world’s second largest economy.

Most of the new patients registered in Tuesday’s figures were near the capital, Beijing, but in a province in the northeast China Official data released on Wednesday also showed a rise in new cases.

The National Health Commission said in a statement that 115 new confirmed cases were reported on the mainland on January 12, compared to 55 the previous day. This was also the highest daily increase since July 30. Sunday also saw a large number of cases, with 103 new cases.

The commission said that 107 of the new cases were local infections. Hebei Province, which surrounds Beijing, recorded 90 cases, while northeastern Heilongjiang Province reported 16 new cases.

Hebei Province imposed lockdowns on three cities – Shijiazhuang, Xingtai and Langfang – as part of efforts to prevent further spread of the virus, while Beijing city authorities have stepped up screening and prevention measures to prevent the development of another group.

The number of new daily asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, has decreased from 81 to 38.

The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in China now stands at 87,706, while the death toll remains unchanged at 4,634.

The number of new cases reported in recent days is still a fraction of what China experienced at the height of the outbreak in early 2020. The rise in the case comes as a team is being formed by the World Health Organization to investigate the origin of the virus. Wuhan, the city at the heart of the global outbreak.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed that the team will head directly to Wuhan. Company spokesman Zhao Lijian did not answer questions about whether the team would be sacked, and did not provide further details.

A WHO delegation of scientists tasked with researching the origins of the virus is expected to arrive in China on Thursday, after nearly a year of negotiations. They were expecting to travel to Wuhan and talk to scientists on the groundBut Chinese authorities have been reluctant to provide details and nothing has been confirmed.

Members of the WHO team began leaving their home countries early last week, only to find out Chinese officials have not completed the necessary permits. The head of the World Health Organization, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said he was “very disappointed” but the Chinese authorities said the two sides were still in discussions.

The research mission is a priority for the World Health Organization, and it enjoys widespread international support, but observers have urged people to manage expectations about the team’s reaching any conclusions on the trip, and the researchers said the task was not about assigning blame.

This is about reducing risks. The media can help by avoiding pointing fingers like Trump. “Our mission is not political,” said Fabian Leanderz, a professor in the epidemiology of highly infectious microorganisms at the Public Health Authority in Germany, who is part of the team.