China witness worst coronavirus outbreak since Wuhan

China is experiencing its most extensive spread of coronavirus infections since the initial outbreak in Wuhan in 2019 as the eastern city of Nanjing has reported at least 185 in less than two weeks.

The cases, blamed on the Delta variant, have spread to at least 15 other Chinese cities since the virus was first detected at Najing’s airport this month.

Nationwide, there are at least 23 other cases, including in Beijing.

Almost 200 people have been infected since the virus was first detected at the city's busy airport on 20 July.

All flights from Nanjing airport will be suspended until 11 August, according to local media.

All 9.3 million of the city's residents - including those visiting - will be tested, said state-controlled Xinhua news.

Posts on social media show long lines of people queuing, and authorities have reportedly urged people to wear masks, stand one metre apart and avoid talking while they wait.

Officials said the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus was behind the infections, adding that cases had spread further because of how busy the airport is.

Ding Jie, a health official in Nanjing, told reporters the cases were linked to cleaners who worked on a flight from Russia that arrived in the city on 10 July.

The cleaners did not follow strict hygiene measures, Xinhua News reported. The airport management has been rebuked, with a senior disciplinary body of the Communist Party saying it had "problems such as lack of supervision and unprofessional management".