Consumers browse dairy products while wearing masks at a supermarket in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province. (Photo: chinadaily.com.cn)

The top official in Hebei province has demanded that local cities improve their ability to discover COVID-19 infections early time so that transmission chains in the community level can be stopped quickly, Hebei Daily reported.

"We should assess the epidemic situation as more severe and complex, think about problems more comprehensively and do our work more carefully," said Ni Yuefeng, the province's Party chief, who presided over a provincial-level anti-epidemic meeting on Thursday. It was held via video.

The capital, Shijiazhuang, which is the hardest-hit area in the province, reported 3,197 new local infections on Thursday, with 321 are confirmed cases and 2,876 asymptomatic carriers, quadruple the number of infections in the previous day, according to the province's health commission.

During the meeting, Ni also told COVID-hit cities to enhance the construction of quarantine centers and makeshift hospitals to make sure positive cases are transferred and that close contacts are isolated as needed.

While containing the ongoing epidemic, cities should meet the basic needs of residents, including medical treatment and students' online classes, as well as support measures for companies affected by the epidemic, he added.