The National Health Commission said fever clinics that do not meet the requirements of COVID-19 prevention and control should be closed down or upgraded.

Zeng Yixin, deputy head of China's top health authority, said at a news conference on Saturday that medical institutions, especially grassroots medical bodies in urban and rural areas, should improve their prevention and control mechanism and they should assign special teams to be on duty and carry out regular inspections.

The current designated hospitals and fever clinics also need to be re-evaluated and those that do not meet the requirements should be cancelled or upgraded as soon as possible to supply adequate equipment and personnel and strengthen the management of fever patients.

Zeng made the remarks in response to some of the measures to curb the pandemic during winter and spring season.

Northern China's Hebei province has reported more than 100 new cases in the past weeks. The cluster infections in Hebei developed fast, with 85.5 percent of the infected from rural areas and many of them are aged, according to officials.