China has recorded the biggest rise in daily Covid-19 cases since April, as Australia recorded its worst ever daily infection tally, centred on an outbreak in the city of Melbourne. China’s 61 new cases were propelled by clusters in three separate regions that have sparked fears of a fresh wave. Forty-one cases (nearly 70%) were in the north-western Xinjiang region, according to the National Health Commission, where a sudden outbreak in the regional capital of Urumqi occurred in mid-July.
Liaoning province in the north-east had 14 cases and neighbouring Jilin had two. Both provinces border North Korea. It’s the first time there has been a case in Jilin since late May.On Sunday a second wave of mass testing was launched in Urumqi to detect residents who had previously tested false negative, according to the state-run Global Times. It followed a mass testing effort earlier this month, in which some 65% of residents have been tested so far, according to a local press conference on Friday.
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