China Sees First Covid Death in 9 Months as Outbreak Swells

  • Flareup spreads to more regions as New Year holiday approaches
  • Three cities locked down as concern grows in nearby Beijing
A villager at Shizhuang Village undergoes Covid-19 testing in Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, Jan. 12.Photographer: Xing Guangli/Xinhua via Getty Images
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

China reported its first death from the coronavirus in nine months, as a new flareup in the country spreads to more regions ahead of the Chinese New Year holidays.

The country recordedBloomberg Terminal 124 new local infections Thursday, the highest since March. Among those, 81 were found in Hebei, a province encircling Beijing that is at the center of the latest cluster. The other 43 cases were detected in China’s northeastern Heilongjiang province.