China's Zhejiang Province, a manufacturing hub that is home to many Apple suppliers, is recording around a million new COVID-19 cases a day, renewing concerns about the impact on supply chains, NIKKEI Asia reports.
The provincial government released the number on Sunday, adding that it expects daily infections to peak around New Year's Day, possibly at 2 million.
New cases are rising elsewhere in China. Guangdong Province's Dongguan said Friday that daily infections ranged from 250,000 to 300,000, and Shandong Province's Qingdao estimated 490,000 to 500,000 daily infections. But official statistics from the central government do not reflect such a rapid spread, raising questions about its information disclosure.
Zhejiang, near Shanghai, has a population of approximately 65 million. Its capital city of Hangzhou is home to China's largest e-commerce player, Alibaba Group Holding, and other tech companies. In addition to Apple suppliers, Japanese motor maker Nidec and many other foreign manufacturers have production bases in Zhejiang.
In a report released Wednesday, British research firm Airfinity said that daily cases in China likely exceeded 1 million. Zhejiang's announcement points to a number that is far larger.
Meanwhile, the National Health Commission said Sunday that it would stop publishing daily infection numbers. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which operates under the NHC, released infection and death figures instead.
