COVID-19: China's Daily COVID Tally Surpasses 30,000 For The First Time Since 2019

Official data showed on Thursday that China's daily COVID cases have reached a record high since the start of the pandemic, as the country works to curb the spread of the disease through snap lockdowns, mass testing, and travel restrictions [1].

Despite being relatively small in comparison to China's vast population of 1.4 billion, this is the highest number of cases reported in a single day since the outbreak of the influenza pandemic began in 2019 [2].

Here are the important details:

1. According to the National Health Bureau, China recorded 31,454 domestic cases - 27,517 of them without symptoms - on Wednesday.

2. Health officials reported on Thursday that, excluding imported cases, there were 31,444 new local cases on November 23, of which 3,927 were symptomatic and 27,517 were asymptomatic [3].

3. It is important to note that these numbers exceed the 29,390 infections recorded in mid-April, when residents of Shanghai were unable to buy food and receive medical care due to a lockdown.

4. In contrast to the previous day, there was one death, bringing the total number of deaths to 5,232. As of November 23, mainland China had confirmed 297,516 cases with symptoms of COVID.

5. According to reports, Beijing's zero-covid policy can cause even small outbreaks to result in the closure of entire cities and the quarantine of contacts with infected patients. As the pandemic approaches the third year, the population is becoming fatigued, which has led to sporadic protests and decreased productivity.