China’s northeast Heilongjiang province, which borders Russia, has become the new battleground against the coronavirus as authorities reported the highest number of new daily cases in nearly six weeks, driven by infected travellers from overseas.
China fears a rise in imported cases could spark a second wave of Covid-19 and push the country back into a state of near paralysis.
A total of 108 new cases were reported in mainland China on Sunday, up from 99 a day earlier.
The National Health Commission said 98 of the new cases were imported, a new record. A total of 49 Chinese nationals who entered Heilongjiang province from Russia tested positive.
On Monday, two people were reported dead in Hubei, pushing the toll to 3,341 while total cases stood at 82,160. As of Sunday, the mainland had reported a total of 1,378 imported cases.
Chinese cities near the border with Russia are tightening controls and imposing quarantines in response to influx of infected patients from the country.
No case occurred in November: China
China on Monday rejected reports that the earliest case of Covid-19 in its territory occurred last November and that it had concealed the real situation regarding the pandemic, describing them as a distortion of facts.
Chinese embassy spokesperson Ji Rong said in a statement: “Recently, certain Indian media ignored the facts that China had officially released and continued to blame China for concealing the real situation. These claims are fact-distorting and irresponsible.”
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