China detects new Covid cases in 27 cities, 18 provinces

The country reported 75 new cases for July 31, including at least 53 locally transmitted Covid-19 infections

BEIJING/ FORT LAUDERDALE: China on Sunday reported 75 new cases of Covid-19 for July 31, including at least 53 locally transmitted cases, with infections linked to a Nanjing-linked outbreak found in 18 provinces and 27 cities.

More than 300 cases, the majority said to be of the highly infectious Delta variant of the virus, have been reported since the third week of July. More than 200 local infections have been reported from the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province, state media reported on Sunday. Beijing on Sunday restricted the entry of people from regions where cases have been found after two more infections were reported in the city in the past 24 hours. Authorities said flights and passenger trains from affected areas to Beijing will be suspended.

The province of Jiangsu recorded 30 new locally transmitted cases for Saturday, up from 19 a day earlier. There were also 12 new cases reported in central China’s Henan province where Zhengzhou city reported 11 new cases as of Saturday.

In the US, Florida’s cases jumped 50% this week, continuing a six-week surge in infections that has seen it responsible for one in five new infections nationally.

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Germany plans to start offering Covid-19 booster shots to the elderly and at-risk from September 1, according to a draft document seen by AFP on Sunday.

In the UK, finance minister Rishi Sunak has pleaded to PM Boris Johnson for easing travel curbs to offer respite to the tourism sector amid concerns that Britain is not reaping the benefit of its vaccination programme, The Sunday Times reported.