China's capital Beijing has beefed up Covid-19 prevention measures after the more contagious variant of the virus, Omicron, was detected in a patient who neither had contact with confirmed cases nor left the city in the last 14 days. Infection by mail is suspected. The Omicron variant was detected on the envelope and on a document mailed to the recipient from Canada via the U.S. and Hong Kong. China's Postal Administration vowed to “build a barrier” against Covid-19 cases imported through international express mail. The Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is asking people to reduce purchasing overseas commodities as the epidemic overseas is rampant.
Roughly 16,500 people in Haidian district and all places the patient went to lately have been tested and all tests came back negative. Epidemiologists warned Beijing may be subject to more stringent measures such as citywide testing and traffic restrictions if more sporadic flare-ups within the city are reported. Wang Guangfa, a respiratory expert at Peking University First Hospital, said the current situation in Beijing is difficult to judge, as the origin of the infection remains unknown. "It is very possible that new cases will emerge if the cause is unclear," said Wang.
Beijing will require travelers to get a Covid-19 test within 72 hours of arrival in the Chinese capital. The new rule, effective from January 22 to the end of March, is aimed to help with early detection of Omicron. Beijing already requires inbound travelers to take a Covid-19 test within 48 hours of departure for the city and have a green code on the city’s health tracking app. As of January 15, locally transmitted cases attributable to the Omicron variant have been reported in eight cities in China’s mainland – Anyang; Beijing; Dalian; Guangzhou; Shanghai; Tianjin, Zhongshan and Zhuhai, but the total number of Omicron cases has not been reported.
Beijing vowed to beef up measures to prevent a Covid-19 flare-up in China's capital and ensure people's safety as the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games approach. Besides the concerns raised by the latest domestic wave of Covid-19 in the neighboring city of Tianjin, the arrival of tens of thousands of overseas participants increases the risk of imported infections. Beijing must leave no stone unturned in implementing epidemic prevention and control measures to ensure the capital, Olympics and residents are free from the threat of new flare-ups, Cai Qi, the Party Secretary of Beijing and Director of the Anti-epidemic Command Center said. According to the latest regulation from Beijing municipal government, all people coming or returning to Beijing will be monitored and screened. Any person who is deemed a risk will be quarantined to keep out any potential cases. Those with travel history to medium-risk regions within 14 days should strictly follow epidemic rules and they will be required to quarantine at home and take a nucleic acid test. Henan, Shaanxi, and Guangdong province are also fighting against a Covid resurgence.
Despite all the efforts, Peking University respiratory specialist Wang Guangfa told the Global Times that the incidence of infection among Olympic participants in the biosecurity bubble of the Winter Olympics could be relatively high. A large number of foreign Olympic delegations will enter China soon. Wang said that although most Olympic participants are required to be fully vaccinated, because Omicron is highly contagious although with relatively mild symptoms, it could be difficult to detect infections. Therefore, the risk of infection brought by people coming in cannot be underestimated, and Beijing definitely needs a more prudent response. Manzhouli, in Inner Mongolia, has announced a ban on fruit imports after the surface and packaging of some imported fruits tested positive for Covid-19 in multiple cities.
In Tianjin, airlines and railway departments started refunding all passengers who had purchased tickets to leave Tianjin, as people are encouraged to remain in the city temporarily. Zhou Lu, Deputy Director of the city’s Commerce Bureau, said Tianjin has an adequate supply of fresh vegetables. Only one family member can go to designated venues to buy vegetables, while all other residents are required to stay at home. The first round of nucleic acid testing in Tianjin, launched on January 9 after two local Omicron cases were reported, has concluded with more than 12.5 million samples collected, resulting in 77 positive cases. The second round started at 12 pm on January 12, and more than 2.23 million people had been tested by 4 pm. An efficient and speedy screening is the most powerful weapon to win the fight against Omicron, Wei Sheng, Department Director at the Tongji Medical College of the Huazhong University of Science and Technology, told the Global Times.
High technology has widely been used in the current war against Omicron in Tianjin. 5G and big data provide an effective support for the management of important tasks during outbreaks in China. For instance, the whole process of nucleic acid testing, including sample collection, sealing, and transportation is recorded digitally. As of January 17, a total of 294 people had been infected with Covid-19 in Tianjin, a municipality of 13.86 million people, with all the cases attributable to the Omicron variant. The Tianjin outbreak has spread to at least two other cities – Anyang in Henan and Dalian in Liaoning province.
The factories of Volkswagen and Toyota in Tianjin have been shut down and production lines in other parts of China have been instructed to try to make up for the potential capacity losses. Volkswagen’s two plants in Tianjin only account for around 20% of the total production capacity in China, while the Toyota factory accounts for about half. But Tianjin's port has not been affected.
In Xian, since the resurgence of the pandemic on December 9, more than 5,000 testing sites have been set up across the city, staffed by over 100,000 medics, community workers and volunteers, including some foreign residents of Xian. Two hospitals in Xian which delayed the rescue and treatment of a pregnant woman and a critical ill patient were ordered to suspend their operations for rectification for three months. The persons in charge of the hospitals were held accountable for the incidents.
Most flights from the United States to Shanghai have been suspended by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) following an increasing number of imported Covid-19 cases. Five flights to Shanghai operated by Delta, United and American airlines, as well as China Eastern Airlines, have been put on hold for two to four weeks, beginning this week. More than 50 passengers on these flights have tested positive since the end of 2021 at Shanghai Pudong international Airport. Among the most severely affected, Delta Air Lines Flight DL287 from Seattle to Shanghai will be suspended through the end of February. Shanghai has reported over 250 imported cases since January 1 amid a new wave in the global pandemic caused by the Omicron variant. As many as 70 flights from the U.S. to China have been canceled since the beginning of 2022. The number of flights between China and the U.S. has dropped from about 100 per week before the pandemic to about 20 now.
On January 18, mainland China reported 171 new Covid-19 cases, of which 127 locally transmitted, and the others passengers arriving from abroad.
This overview is based on reports by the China Daily, Global Times and Shanghai Daily.
