China has reported the highest coronavirus infection figures in two years.
Across all of China, 402 local infections were reported on Wednesday, almost twice as many as the day before, the official news agency Xinhua reported Thursday.
There were also 435 asymptomatic infections and 277 cases imported from abroad.
Following the first major coronavirus wave, which originated in Wuhan more than two years ago, China was able to bring the virus under control quickly with strict measures.
Since then, the world's second-largest economy has seen only regional outbreaks.
But since the Omicron variant was first discovered in the eastern Chinese port city of Tianjin at the beginning of January, health experts have feared that this more contagious variant could push Chinese protective measures to their limits.
Cases drop in major cities
Individual cases recently cropped up in the country's two major cities, Beijing and Shanghai.
New infections were reported from seven provinces and regions on Wednesday.
The north-eastern province of Jilin was particularly hard hit, with 165 symptomatic infections.
