China sees highest daily coronavirus cases in current outbreak

A medical worker collects a swab from a resident during a mass testing for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a makeshift testing site at a stadium in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China May 30, 2021. cnsphoto via REUTERS

BEIJING, Aug 6  - China reported on Friday its highest daily count for new coronavirus cases in its current outbreak, fuelled by a surge in locally transmitted infections.

China reported 124 new confirmed coronavirus cases in the mainland for Aug. 5, according to the National Health Commission. That's up from 85 a day earlier.

Of the new confirmed infections, 80 were locally transmitted, the health authority said, up from 62 local cases a day earlier.

The local cases were driven by a surge in infections in eastern Jiangsu province, which reported 61 new cases for Aug. 5, up from 40 a day earlier. The new infections were mainly in the city of Yangzhou.

Overall, China reported 58 new asymptomatic coronavirus cases, which it does not classify as confirmed infections, compared with 54 a day earlier.

No new deaths were reported.

As of Aug. 5, mainland China has recorded 93,498 confirmed cases. The cumulative death toll is unchanged at 4,636.

Reporting by Ryan Woo and Roxanne Liu; Editing by Tom Hogue