<p>Chinese health officials said Friday they were bringing the country's worst Covid outbreak in months under control after new infections hit a seven-month high earlier this week.</p>.<p>Multiple cluster outbreaks of the highly contagious Delta variant have spread to 48 cities in 18 provinces nationwide, infecting more than 1,282 people, officials said.</p>.<p>However there had been no new infections in many hotspots in recent days owing to stringent virus control measures, they added.</p>.<p>"Of these 48 cities, 36 have not reported any new infections in the past five consecutive days," Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention official He Qinghua told reporters.</p>.<p>"In these circumstances, the risk of a nationwide outbreak is generally controllable and there is relatively little risk of a large-scale outbreak occurring on the national scale."</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/china-rejects-need-for-further-who-covid-origins-probe-1019333.html" target="_blank">China rejects need for further WHO Covid origins probe</a></strong></p>.<p>State media has described the current outbreak — which has sparked local lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions — as the most severe since the virus first emerged in the central city of Wuhan.</p>.<p>More than half of China's population, 777 million people, have been fully inoculated so far, with over 1.83 billion doses administered nationwide, a National Health Commission spokesman announced Friday.</p>.<p>China has also strengthened anti-virus controls for international flights and cargo shipments in response to the latest outbreak.</p>.<p>"According to the results of genetic sequencing, the sources of infection are all from overseas," said He.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/who-expert-had-concerns-about-safety-of-china-lab-which-detected-1st-covid-case-1019320.html" target="_blank">WHO expert 'had concerns' about safety of China lab which detected 1st Covid case</a></strong></p>.<p>One terminal of Ningbo-Zhoushan port, the world's third-biggest by cargo volume, suspended operations Wednesday after a worker tested positive.</p>.<p>The latest outbreak emerged in mid-July in the eastern city of Nanjing, after nine airport cleaners tested positive for the virus.</p>.<p>Dozens of local officials have since been punished for mishandling the outbreak, as Beijing scrambled to contain the spread of domestic transmissions.</p>.<p>China reported 99 new cases Friday, 47 of which were local transmissions — down from a seven-month high of 108 local infections announced Tuesday.</p>.<p>Several cases in recent days have been linked to a Covid-19 testing site and mahjong parlours in eastern Yangzhou city, home to 4.6 million people.</p>
<p>Chinese health officials said Friday they were bringing the country's worst Covid outbreak in months under control after new infections hit a seven-month high earlier this week.</p>.<p>Multiple cluster outbreaks of the highly contagious Delta variant have spread to 48 cities in 18 provinces nationwide, infecting more than 1,282 people, officials said.</p>.<p>However there had been no new infections in many hotspots in recent days owing to stringent virus control measures, they added.</p>.<p>"Of these 48 cities, 36 have not reported any new infections in the past five consecutive days," Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention official He Qinghua told reporters.</p>.<p>"In these circumstances, the risk of a nationwide outbreak is generally controllable and there is relatively little risk of a large-scale outbreak occurring on the national scale."</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/china-rejects-need-for-further-who-covid-origins-probe-1019333.html" target="_blank">China rejects need for further WHO Covid origins probe</a></strong></p>.<p>State media has described the current outbreak — which has sparked local lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions — as the most severe since the virus first emerged in the central city of Wuhan.</p>.<p>More than half of China's population, 777 million people, have been fully inoculated so far, with over 1.83 billion doses administered nationwide, a National Health Commission spokesman announced Friday.</p>.<p>China has also strengthened anti-virus controls for international flights and cargo shipments in response to the latest outbreak.</p>.<p>"According to the results of genetic sequencing, the sources of infection are all from overseas," said He.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/who-expert-had-concerns-about-safety-of-china-lab-which-detected-1st-covid-case-1019320.html" target="_blank">WHO expert 'had concerns' about safety of China lab which detected 1st Covid case</a></strong></p>.<p>One terminal of Ningbo-Zhoushan port, the world's third-biggest by cargo volume, suspended operations Wednesday after a worker tested positive.</p>.<p>The latest outbreak emerged in mid-July in the eastern city of Nanjing, after nine airport cleaners tested positive for the virus.</p>.<p>Dozens of local officials have since been punished for mishandling the outbreak, as Beijing scrambled to contain the spread of domestic transmissions.</p>.<p>China reported 99 new cases Friday, 47 of which were local transmissions — down from a seven-month high of 108 local infections announced Tuesday.</p>.<p>Several cases in recent days have been linked to a Covid-19 testing site and mahjong parlours in eastern Yangzhou city, home to 4.6 million people.</p>