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China orders mass coronavirus testing in Wuhan, as delta outbreaks spread across the country

The Chinese city of Wuhan is where the new coronavirus is thought to have first infected humans.

Published: August 3, 2021 7:22am

Updated: August 3, 2021 7:56am

China has suspended flights and trains, canceled major sporting events, and announced mass testing sites in Wuhan, where outbreaks of the delta variant of the novel coronavirus have reached the city.

The total number of detected cases remains in the hundreds, the outbreak is larger than anything China has reported since the initial outbreak of the illness that was first found in Wuhan in late 2019. 

Three cases were confirmed Monday in the city, and just 90 cases were confirmed nationwide the day prior. The bulk of the cases remain localized in the Jiangsu province, where a new outbreak began at the airport in Nanjing and quickly began to spread. 

Chinese government-affiliated scientists have said that the Chinese vaccines, the only ones currently being given in China, are less effective against the delta variant but provide some protection. According to Chinese authorities, more than 1.6 billion doses of the vaccine have been administered. 

The highly-contagious delta strain has essentially increased the number of virus case around the world. 

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