Updated On: 19 March, 2022 10:43 AM IST | Beijing | AP
China reported 2,157 new COVID-19 cases from community transmission on Saturday, with the majority in Jilin. The province has instituted a travel ban, with people needing permission from police to travel across borders

Residents line up for COVID-19 test as snow falls on Thursday, March 17, 2022, in Beijing. A fast-spreading variant known as `stealth omicron`. Pic/PTI
China`s national health authorities reported two COVID-19 deaths on Saturday, the first recorded rise in the death toll since January 2021, as the country battles an omicron-driven surge.
The deaths, both in northeastern Jilin province, bring the country`s coronavirus death toll to 4,638.