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China reports 249 new COVID cases, including dozens from Hong Kong – Metro US

China reports 249 new COVID cases, including dozens from Hong Kong

FILE PHOTO: Medical worker collects a swab sample from a
FILE PHOTO: Medical worker collects a swab sample from a resident at a makeshift nucleic acid testing site at a residential compound in Beijing

BEIJING (Reuters) -Mainland China reported 249 new confirmed coronavirus infections for Feb 25, health officials said on Saturday, up from 224 a day earlier, with a record number of imported cases including dozens among arrivals from Hong Kong, where infections are surging.

Of the new cases, 156 were imported and 93 were locally transmitted, the National Health Commission said.

Among the locally transmitted cases, 32 were in Inner Mongolia, nearly all in its capital of Hohhot, while 30 were in the southern province of Guangdong, including 19 in Dongguan and 9 in the city of Shenzhen.

Of the imported cases, 59 were in Guangdong, which borders Hong Kong, which was the source of 55 cases, according to the provincial health authority. The commercial city of Shanghai, a hub for the few international flights remaining under China’s aggressive pandemic measures, accounted for 55 imported cases.

The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, was 118, up from 109 a day earlier.

The death toll was unchanged at 4,636, with no new deaths. By Friday, mainland China had confirmed 108,853 cases.

(Reporting by Tony Munroe and Kevin Huang; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Sam Holmes)