Bo Tao reportedly said the coastal city of about 10 million people was “at a peak ahead of a period of rapid transmission”, adding that the infection rate would rise to 10 percent over the weekend.
The report was shared by several other news outlets, but appears to have been edited as of Saturday morning to remove the case data.
China’s National Health Commission said on Saturday that 4,103 new domestic infections were recorded nationwide the previous day, with no new deaths.
In Shandong province, where Qingdao is located, authorities have officially recorded only 31 new domestic cases.