Despite strict measures intended to eradicate the virus, China has registered the greatest daily number of Covid cases since the outbreak started.
There are outbreaks in a number of important cities, including the southern trade hub Guangzhou and the capital Beijing.
The country reported 31,527 cases on Wednesday, above the peak of approximately 28,000 cases reached in April when its largest metropolis Shanghai was placed under lockdown.
It occurs when incidents of unrest are still being sparked by stringent lockdowns.
Although the 1.4 billion-people nation of China has benefited from the zero-Covid policy by saving lives, it has also taken a heavy toll on the economy and the lives of common people.
However, the country's small relaxation of some of its COVID regulations came only weeks before the current wave of cases began to rise.
By reducing the length of the quarantine period for close contacts from seven days in a state facility to five days at home and stopping the tracking of secondary contacts, many more persons were able to skip the quarantine period.
Additionally, authorities have made an effort to avoid imposing broad lockdowns like those Shanghai saw earlier this year.
However, in light of a recent increase in cases in Beijing as well as the first virus-related fatalities in months, authorities have already imposed certain restrictions in a number of areas, closing stores, schools, and restaurants.
According to announcements made by officials, the 6 million people of the central city of Zhengzhou will likewise be subject to a lockdown beginning on Friday.
It comes after tense demonstrations at a sizable manufacturing facility owned by iPhone maker Foxconn. For a "technical error" in its payment processes, the company has apologized.
China is the only remaining big economy still working to eradicate COVID using lockdown procedures and widespread testing.
However, 31 provinces are now reporting virus cases.
According to President Xi Jinping, the nation's sizable senior population has to be protected. Only half of those over 80 have received their main immunizations, and vaccination rates are lower than in other wealthy countries.
Even if the number of illnesses in China is rising right now, it is still far lower than it was in many other sophisticated nations when the epidemic was at its worst.
Since the pandemic started, China's official death toll has remained modest at slightly over 5,200.
In comparison to 3,000 per million in the US and 2,400 per million in the UK, it translates to three Covid deaths per million in China.