China daily local Covid-19 cases hit two-year high of over 1,500

A medical worker in protective suit collects a swab from a resident at a makeshift nucleic acid testing site, following cases of the coronavirus disease in Shanghai, China March 11, 2022. [Reuters]

Mainland China reported more than 1,500 new local Covid-19 infections on Saturday, the most since the initial nationwide outbreak at the start of 2020, as the Omicron variant prompts cities across the country to further tighten measures.