China reports 46 new COVID-19 cases on opposite ends

Beijing, July 27: China reported 46 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, the highest daily tally in more than a month, as it took steps to stem recent outbreaks that have infected more than 160 people at opposite ends of the country.

Authorities confirmed 22 cases in Urumqi, a city in the Xinjiang region in the country's far west, the official Xinhua News Agency said. That raised the total in the local outbreak to 137 since the first case was detected 10 days ago.

Another 13 cases were confirmed in Liaoning province in the northeast, bringing the total there to 25, almost all in the city of Dalian.

The National Health Commission also reported 11 imported cases in the latest 24-hour period, in people who had arrived from overseas.

China has recorded 83,830 cases and 4,634 deaths since the pandemic began. The Health Commission said that 288 patients remain in treatment, including 18 in critical condition.