In the latest global COVID-19 developments, clusters of new local cases prompted lockdowns in a few northern areas, and France-based Valneva reported positive results for its vaccine when compared to the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine.China tracks more local flare-upsChina's National Health Commission today reported nine new local cases, the most since late September when the country battled flare-ups in a handful of cities in Fujian province.
Five of the local cases are from Xian in Shaanxi province, and two are from Inner Mongolia region.Officials ordered a lockdown for the Inner Mongolia city of Erenhot, which has reported four local cases since Oct 13, according to Reuters.