China recorded a rise in Covid-19 injuries, which raised questions about the consequences of decisions that Beijing might take on the global economy.
And the Chinese National Health Commission said, on Tuesday, that the country reported 424 new cases of COVID-19, 107 of which were asymptomatic and 317 without symptoms, compared to 429 new cases on Monday.
As of Monday, mainland China had confirmed 226,811 infections, according to Reuters.
Shanghai reported five new local asymptomatic cases, compared to six the day before, and 54 asymptomatic local cases compared to 63 the day before, local government data showed.
Among the new cases in Shanghai, most of the infections were recorded in the quarantined areas except for three of them.
At least three Chinese cities have imposed partial closures, and the gambling center in Macau has closed its casinos for the second time since the beginning of the epidemic, while the authorities are trying to stem the latest outbreak of the emerging Corona virus.
In mainland China, the cities of Xi’an, Lanzhou and Haikou have imposed partial lockdowns, closed non-essential businesses and imposed mass testing, and imposed restrictions on several million residents.
In Macau, a semi-autonomous Chinese city, authorities also closed non-essential businesses, including its 42 casinos, which are the main engines of the city’s economy, and told residents to stay home and not go out except to buy food.
The latest measures follow lockdowns in Shanghai and Beijing where millions of people were confined to their homes earlier this year as China dealt with its largest outbreak of the virus.
And new cases emerged in Shanghai barely a month after the citywide lockdown was lifted, prompting officials to order many residents to get tested, a possible precursor to stricter restrictions.
The New York Times says that China’s strategy to eliminate the disease wherever it appears comes with economic and social consequences, as it leads to the closure of apartment complexes, neighborhoods, or even entire cities for days or weeks to eliminate even a handful of cases.
This has led to a significant slowdown in economic growth, the effects of which are felt globally as supply chains are disrupted.
Macau’s 680,000 residents were relatively protected from the virus.
The city has reported two deaths and fewer than 2,000 confirmed cases since the start of the epidemic in 2020, according to government data.
The government had already closed off parts of the city in recent weeks, along with banks, government buildings, parks and swimming pools. All residents had to undergo rounds of mandatory tests.
But so far, Macau has avoided closing casinos, since it last made the decision, in February 2020, for 15 days.
And the Wall Street Journal says that cases are rising in China, alarming investors who are worried about a repeat of the two-month shutdown imposed by Shanghai, which has confused global supply chains and drowned hopes that the country will achieve its economic growth goals.
The central province of Anhui, a producer of steel, automobiles and computers, is hardest hit, although daily new cases appear to be declining with just 39 on Monday, down from a peak of 292 more than a week ago.
Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, has praised the effectiveness of the country’s COVID-free policies in containing the outbreak caused by highly contagious omicron variants, which other countries have failed to control.
But given that only five out of 31 provincial-level regions have reported zero cases since the lockdown in Shanghai officially ended on June 1, preventing another outbreak without severe damage to the economy will be a daunting challenge, according to the Wall Street Journal.
On Sunday, the authorities in Shanghai said that the city had found the first locally transmitted infection of the omicron sub-variant “BA.5” that had been traced to a case from outside the border.
This variant is currently the dominant strain in the United States, which is considered the most contagious version to date of ‘Omicron’ due to its ability to evade immunity built up by previous infections and vaccines.
China-related stock indices fell on Monday as investors assessed potential risks to the country’s already weak economy and consumer confidence.
As Beijing struggles to contain a resurgence of new COVID-19 cases, the city has launched more than 9,000 testing stations to regularly check people.
Virologists say BA.5 is worrisome because frequent infections, even with only mild symptoms or none at all, increase the risk of complications, such as heart attacks and strokes.