* The Chinese mainland Sunday reported 1,337 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and 788 local asymptomatic cases.

* The Omicron BA.2 variant has been identified as the culprit of recent COVID-19 resurgences in many places.

* Several cities with infections have launched multiple rounds of mass testing, ordered closed-loop management of communities, and built makeshift hospitals to stem the virus.

BEIJING, March 14  -- China is taking swift and thorough measures to contend with its latest wave of COVID-19 outbreaks, as multiple regions in the country have seen surging infections recently.

The Chinese mainland Sunday reported 1,337 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and 788 local asymptomatic cases in more than a dozen provincial-level regions, the National Health Commission (NHC) said Monday.

Amid the new spike in COVID-19 cases, several cities with infections have adhered to the dynamic zero-COVID approach through a raft of measures. These include launching multiple rounds of mass testing, ordering closed-loop management of some communities, and suspending traffic and classes to stem the virus.

SWIFT, STRICT ACTIONS

Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan Sunday stressed taking the most thorough epidemic response measures to stem the COVID-19 outbreaks in northeast China's Jilin Province, among the hardest-hit areas as Omicron spreads in the country.

On Sunday, the province registered 895 confirmed domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases and 131 asymptomatic carriers.