Coronavirus outbreak spreads to 20th China province as cases near 800

The latest wave, driven by the highly infectious delta variant, has reached 20 mainland provinces and is now the broadest outbreak since the virus first appeared in Wuhan in 2019.

China’s latest Covid-19 outbreak continues to grow as it shifts east through the nation’s rust belt, prompting officials to implement increasingly stringent prevention measures in an effort to control it.

The country’s health commission reported 68 local confirmed cases on Friday, plus 22 additional infections that didn’t cause any symptoms. Heilongjiang province in the northeast, which accounted for more than one-third of the total, has become the latest epicenter as a mysterious cluster that emerged in the northern border town Heihe ballooned despite a city-wide lockdown.