Covid-19 in China

[Randy W]

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3390196481105717&id=553929144732479

from China Pictorial on Facebook

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All residents of Dalian, Liaoning province, are to receive nucleic acid tests after recent cases of COVID-19 have been reported, local health officials said on Tuesday. The latest round of tests, which started at noon on Tuesday, is expected to cover all residents within three days. From Dec 15 through Monday, the city reported five confirmed, domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases and 12 asymptomatic, domestically transmitted cases, officials said. On Monday alone, there were two new confirmed cases and six new asymptomatic cases.

Okay fine - here it is from China Daily

Dalian testing all residents after outbreak

Edited January 3, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

https://www.facebook.com/355665009819/posts/10159020622604820/

Five new cases in Beijing

Edited December 28, 2020 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/3173058182794370/ SCMP -

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Chinese journalist jailed for 4 years for COVID-19 reporting.
Citizen journalist Zhang Zhan has been sentenced to 4 years in jail for her coverage of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan.

[Randy W]

from the Sixth Tone

China Reports First Case of New COVID-19 Variant
The patient tested positive for the highly infectious new coronavirus strain after returning from the U.K., but was immediately quarantined.

(Header image: Passengers wait at St. Pancras International Airport, in London, Dec. 23, 2020. Hannah McKay/Reuters via Xinhua)

 

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Researchers at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday in a weekly report that the new variant of the novel coronavirus was detected in a 23-year-old student who flew to Shanghai from the U.K. on Dec. 14.

The patient was taken to a quarantine facility immediately after she stepped off the plane, a measure China has imposed on all inbound international passengers regardless of their COVID-19 status during the pandemic.

The woman, diagnosed as a mild case as of Wednesday, has not been out and about in the city, according to the report.

On Dec. 24, laboratory work confirmed that the coronavirus strain contracted by the student was the new variant, known as B.1.1.7. The new strain carries genetic mutations that could make the virus 70% more contagious than other known strains.

 

[Randy W]

from China Pictorial on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/ChinaPic/photos/a.558235270968533/3413437275448304/?type=3

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China will provide free COVID-19 vaccines to all its citizens, said Zeng Yixin, deputy head of the National Health Commission (NHC), at a press conference on Thursday. An inactivated COVID-19 vaccine became the first among self-developed ones to get conditional marketing approval from China's National Medical Products Administration on Wednesday, according to the press conference.

 

Edited January 3, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

from the SCMP

China raises alarm after 63 Covid-19 cases found in Hebei on one day

• First locally transmitted infections in the northern province since June
• Many patients attended village events, including a wedding, in the past three weeks and health authorities expect case numbers to rise

 

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According to a report by Hebei Daily, Ma Xiaowei, director of the National Health Commission, was sent by vice-premier Sun Chunlan to Hebei to direct operations to stop the disease from spreading.

“Right now, Hebei faces a serious situation to get the pandemic under control and our responsibilities are heavy,” Ma was quoted as saying when he presided over a meeting with Hebei government officials on Tuesday.

According to Xinhua, Shijiazhuang has already suspended passenger train services to prevent further spread of the disease.

 

 

[Randy W]

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/1570821646570023/posts/2849361805382661/

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In addition to an extended quarantine period for inbound travelers, Beijing’s mobile health app has also been updated to display users’ vaccination status, though it’s unclear if a certification will grant extra privileges.

Beijing Institutes 21-Day Quarantine Policy Over Coronavirus Scare
Some people in China reportedly did not develop COVID-19 symptoms for weeks after being exposed to the virus.

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At a press conference Tuesday, city officials said people entering the Chinese capital from abroad must quarantine for 21 days — seven days longer than the city’s previous policy. While the first 14 days must be spent at a government-designated facility, the remaining week can be completed at a private residence with approval from local authorities.

Xu Hejian, deputy director of Beijing’s publicity department, said some newly diagnosed COVID-19 patients had experienced longer incubation periods, as they tested positive for the first time more than 14 days after being exposed to the virus. This development, he added, had prompted city authorities to implement stricter quarantine measures in a bid to prevent future outbreaks.

 

 

Edited January 7, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

from the Sixth Tone

 

Shijiazhuang on Lockdown Over Local COVID-19 Outbreak
After over 200 cases were reported this week, residents have been told they cannot leave the city until the outbreak is brought under control.

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The capital of northern China’s Hebei province has barred people from leaving the city following a surge in local COVID-19 cases.

Residents and vehicles in Shijiazhuang must remain in the city until the outbreak is brought under control, according to a press conference Thursday. Residents of Gaocheng District, which has been designated “high-risk,” are prohibited from going elsewhere in the city, which has also imposed movement restrictions in other areas.

From Saturday to Wednesday, Shijiazhuang reported 83 new “confirmed” cases — people showing signs of COVID-19 infection — as well as 148 asymptomatic cases.

Hebei’s health commission announced Friday that the province had recorded 33 new local confirmed infections the day before, with 31 of them from Shijiazhuang. As of Friday, there are 123 known local confirmed cases in the province.

On Tuesday, Hebei went into “wartime mode,” imposing stringent outbreak control measures, and on Wednesday, Shijiazhuang launched a citywide campaign to test the bulk of its 11 million residents. As of Thursday, city authorities had collected more than 6 million samples, according to the press conference.

Other cities in the province are also testing residents. Authorities in Nangong, less than two hours’ drive from Shijiazhuang, announced Friday that residents could earn 500 yuan ($77) for reporting anyone who had not been tested.

 

 

[Randy W]

It's another Wuhan. 295 cases

 

[Randy W]

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook - China's 2021 Spring Festival migration

https://www.facebook.com/1570821646570023/posts/2852324991753009/

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The upcoming Spring Festival is often dubbed the world’s biggest human migration, usually involving billions of trips across China. This year, officials and health experts are asking people to stay where they are.

With Active COVID-19 Outbreaks, China Fears Lunar New Year Travel
The upcoming Spring Festival usually involves billions of trips to see family. This year, officials and health experts are asking people to stay where they are.

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Data from the Ministry of Transport shows that people in China make about 3 billion trips during chunyun every year. For comparison, last month’s holiday season saw an estimated 84 million people hitting the road in the U.S., where there are already local spikes in cases.

“I expect the risks involved in chunyun to be greater than those in holiday travels around Thanksgiving and Christmas,” Yang Liu, a researcher at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, told Sixth Tone. She explained that chunyun lasts longer, involves more individuals, and relies more on public transportation such as trains, buses, and planes.

Chinese public health experts say it’s unnecessary to halt travel in the country completely, but social distancing and other conventional infection prevention methods will need to be applied. “We don’t really have a drug for the disease, and most people aren’t vaccinated yet,” Zhan Siyan, an epidemiologist from Peking University, told Sixth Tone.

 

 

[Randy W]

from ChinaDaily.com.cn

Some cities halt retailing of cold, cough medication

Cough and cold medicines are being taken off the shelves at China's pharmacies, the idea being that people need to go to the hospital to be checked for the coronavirus. Hospitals in China function more like what we consider a medical clinic.

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"Taking these drugs without medical checks will pose challenges in thoroughly screening out all virus carriers. Such moves will ensure all potential patients get checks and verification," said an official in charge of epidemic control in Shiyan.

In Jinan, Shandong province, drugstores were ordered to suspend the sales of antibiotics and cough medicines, but people can still buy cold medicine as long as they are registered at drugstores.

 

 

Edited January 11, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

from the Wall Street Journal on Facebook
56m  · 
https://www.facebook.com/wsj/posts/10160694979053128/

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China is allowing WHO experts in to investigate Covid-19 origins, days after being criticized for holding up the mission.

[Randy W]

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/1570821646570023/posts/2855935984725243/

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China’s Sinovac vaccine is 50.38% effective in preventing COVID-19, according to Brazilian health authorities who said last week that it was 78% effective.

[Randy W]

from the SCMP on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/355665009819/videos/696854707659152/

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China logs highest recent Covid-19 spike

China reported 153 new Covid-19 infections on January 12, its highest daily jump in more than 5 months.

Read more: sc.mp/qg0m

 

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Chinese health authorities have been trying to contain a steady rise in cases over winter with mass testing and lockdowns, as infections in Hebei and Heilongjiang with unknown origins spread quickly to other provinces.

There are now 784 confirmed cases in mainland China, according to official figures.

In addition, 556 asymptomatic carriers – which are not included in China’s tally – are being kept under medical observation in provinces including Jilin, Shandong and Zhejiang. Health authorities said most of those cases had been traced back to the Hebei and Heilongjiang clusters.

 

 

Edited January 14, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Sixth Tone on Facebook - China's first COVID death since May

https://www.facebook.com/1570821646570023/posts/2856728874645954/

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China reported its first COVID-19 death since May last year in Hebei province; the northern province had 463 “confirmed” locally transmitted cases as of Wednesday; and the provincial capital is building a 3,000-room centralized quarantine site.

China Reports First COVID-19 Death Since May

• A woman with underlying health conditions has died in Hebei province, where authorities are trying to contain a recent outbreak involving more than 400 cases.