China’s far western region of Xinjiang reported 118 people who tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday, according to the Xinjiang Information Office.
Among them, two have shown symptoms and 116 are asymptomatic. China does not include asymptomatic carriers of the virus in the official tally of confirmed cases.
The new cases were reported in Shufu county in Kashgar prefecture in the region’s south, where a new outbreak surfaced late last month.
Officials said in a press conference on Tuesday night that the 116 asymptomatic cases were identified among those who were already under quarantine or medical observation, while the two confirmed cases had developed symptoms after being identified earlier as asymptomatic cases.
In response to the new cases, Xinjiang will launch a new round of mass testing in Shufu county starting on Wednesday, according to authorities.
In late October, Kashgar launched a citywide testing drive for its 4.7 million residents, after a single asymptomatic case was reported.
As of Tuesday evening, Xinjiang has reported 64 symptomatic cases and 345 asymptomatic cases in the latest outbreak.