Nearly 37 million people were infected in one day by coronavirus in China

Some 248 million people, or nearly 18 percent of the population, are likely infected with the virus in the first 20 days of December, according to the processions from an internal meeting of the China National Health Commission held Wednesday, confirmed with people involved in the discussions.

If correct, the infection rate would reduce the previous day record of about 4 million, set in January 2022.

The removal of COVID-19 policy restrictions from Beijing has led to the unhindered spread of highly contagious variants of omitron to a population with low levels of natural immunity. More than half the residents of the province of Sichuan, southwest of China, and the capital, Beijing, have been infected, according to the agency's estimates, broadcast Telegrafi.

The way the Chinese health regulator came up with his assessment is unclear, as the country shuts down its once occupant network of test booths PCR early this month. The precise rates of infection have been difficult to place in other countries during the pandemic, as hard laboratory tests to obtain were replaced by house testing with results not collected from the centre.