China reports 55 new COVID-19 cases as Delta variant spreads

China has reported 55 new coronavirus cases, as the country is witnessing a sudden surge of the Delta variant of the COVID-19 cases.

Out of the new cases, there are 30 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases.

According to China National Health Commission, 19 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases were reported in Jiangsu, six in Hunan, two in Chongqing, and one each in Liaoning, Fujian and Sichuan, Chinese-state media China Daily reported.

The Chinese authorities said there are 25 news imported cases, of which nine were reported in Yunnan, eight in Shanghai, three in Tianjin, two each in Zhejiang and Fujian, and one in Guangdong.

According to Global Times, a new surge of COVID-19 cases started from an airport in Nanjing, the capital of east China's Jiangsu province.

Nanjing has so far reported 184 confirmed cases and one silent carrier since the first case was reported on July 20.

The new surge has spread to five other provinces and Beijing municipality.

Compared to previous rounds of domestic virus resurgences that were usually limited to one city or a few nearby cities, the Nanjing epidemic occurred at a busy international airport, and trans-regional passengers travelling for long-distance soon brought the virus across the country to places including Southwest China's Sichuan and Northeast China's Liaoning, experts noted.

Zhangjiajie, a popular tourist site in Hunan Province and the shooting location of James Cameron's blockbuster Avatar, is believed to be another key node on the infection chain.

Four infected cases who had been to the Lukou airport were found watching a cultural performance with more than 2,000 people in Zhangjiajie on July 22. Beijing reported two confirmed cases who returned from Zhangjiajie on Thursday.

( With inputs from ANI )