China has punished more than 40 local officials for failing to control the spiraling Delta variant outbreak, as Chinese authorities struggle to stop the worst resurgence of Covid-19 the country has seen in over a year.

The current outbreak of the virus,  first emerged in the eastern city of Nanjing.

It has now spread to over half of China's 31 provinces and caused more than 1,000 symptomatic infections in three weeks.

Authorities have rushed to impose stringent lockdowns, mass testing, extensive quarantine and travel restrictions .

Reports from China say the new covid-19 measures are at a scale and intensity unseen in China since the initial outbreak in early 2020. 

Across the country, at least 47 officials, ranging from the heads of local governments, health commissions, hospitals and airports, have been punished for failing to control the virus spread, according to state media reports.

In Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province,15 officials were held accountable for allowing infections to spread at the Nanjing Lukou International Airport, according to a statement from the Communist Party's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).

Three officials at the airport are under investigation by the provincial disciplinary authorities, and two of them have been detained. 

Nanjing's vice mayor, has also received penalties ranging from suspension to severe warnings, according to the statement.

In Zhangjiajie, a tourist hotspot , 18 officials were punished for their slack response in dealing with the virus, according to another statement from the CCDI.