China’s Zhejiang province has confirmed 138 locally-transmitted cases of COVID-19. These cases are reported to be due to the new Delta strain, sub-lineage AY.4. Authorities in the province have prohibited millions of people from travelling to other parts of the country.

The Xinhua news agency had reported on Sunday that Zhejiang province had logged 138 locally-transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases and one asymptomatic carrier from December 5-12. Among the 138 cases logged in Zhejiang, 44 cases were reported from Ningbo, 77 from Shaoxing, and 17 cases were from Hangzhou.

This is the first time that the country has reported a new strain of the Delta variant of coronavirus. Whole-genome sequencing confirmed that the cases in the three cities were due to the Delta strain sub-lineage AY.4... (WION, December 13, 2021)