BEIJING — A total of 11 provincial-level regions have been affected within a week as a fresh outbreak of COVID-19 emerged in China, a spokesperson with the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Oct 24.

Sporadic cases reported in various regions have been increasing ever since Oct 17, Mi Feng, spokesperson for the NHC, told a press conference.

Most of the cases have inter-region travel histories, increasing the risk of virus transmission to other regions, Mi said.

The spokesperson called for tightened anti-epidemic response against the new outbreak.