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With Hong Kong's COVID epidemic literally on their doorstep - featuring a significantly more transmissible Omicron Variant than China has ever dealt with before - Chinese officials are scrambling to prevent its spread among what is believed to be a highly susceptible population.
Not only has COVID not spread widely in China since the spring of 2020, their two homegrown vaccines are believed to provide very limited protection against infection.
For the past two days China's National Health Commission has reported in excess of 500 COVID cases across the country. These reports should be taken with a large grain of salt, as China regularly reports improbably low case counts and deaths, but even these low numbers represent major increases in recent weeks.
China also makes a distinction between `confirmed cases' and `asymptomatically infected', which allows them to report lower `confirmed' case counts.
Today the NHC reports 555 confirmed Cases, and 814 asymptomatic infections, and while only 2 of those confirmed cases are from Changchun City, we are seeing reports that a complete lockdown has been ordered for this city (see AP Report Amid new COVID spike, China locks down Changchun city of 9 million).
Changchun is a major industrial center in China, particularly for manufacturing automobiles. The following notice was published today by local media from the Changchun Epidemic Prevention and Control Headquarters2022-03-11 13:39 Sina Jilin
Announcement on matters related to the three rounds of nucleic acid testing in Changchun City
In view of the recent sporadic confirmed cases of the new crown in Changchun City, in order to effectively control the spread of the epidemic, the Changchun Epidemic Prevention and Control Headquarters has decided to launch three rounds of nucleic acid testing for all employees across the city. The relevant matters are hereby notified as follows:
1. Offices work from home, and enterprises and institutions stop operating. Except for those involved in epidemic prevention work, all administrative and public institutions in the city work from home; except for key enterprises determined by the city and public service enterprises that guarantee people's livelihood, all enterprises will be closed; Except for pharmacies and medical institutions with special needs, all other business stores will be closed; schools will be closed, and buses, taxis, and subways will be suspended.
2. Stop all non-essential flows. The whole city's communities (villages) and units implement closed management. One person per household goes out to purchase necessary living materials every 2 days. Residents with special access needs are strictly controlled by the community (village). The above two types of people need to hold a permit to enter and exit, and the access permit is issued by the community (village) where they live. issue. Public security officers, medical staff and other necessary mobile personnel need to hold relevant certificates or certificates issued by the epidemic prevention and control headquarters to enter and exit.
3. Complete nucleic acid detection with high quality. This nucleic acid test requires that all inspections must be carried out, and no one will be left behind. Please pay close attention to the nucleic acid test time in this area, participate in the nucleic acid test on time as notified, and do personal protection work as required, and return home immediately after the test.
This notice will be implemented from the date of publication, and the time of lifting the closed management will be notified separately. Thank you to the general public for your support and cooperation!
Changchun Epidemic Prevention and Control Headquarters
March 11, 2022
While other cities have recently reported more cases, one possible clue for this strict lockdown might be found in this (translated) media report, which is posted on the http://www.changchun.gov.cn/ website.
Time: 2022-03-10 07:42 Source: Changchun Daily
On the 9th, at the first press conference on the prevention and control of the new crown pneumonia epidemic held in our city in 2022, Zhang Xingguo, director of the Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, introduced the progress of the city's epidemic prevention and control flow and traceability work. According to the arrangement of the Jilin Province New Crown Epidemic Prevention and Control Leading Group Office, the whole genome sequencing of the new coronavirus of 11 cases in Changchun City has been completed, and the results show that they are all BA.
At present, through epidemiological investigations on patients with new crowns found in our city, the first cases have a clear history of travel and residence in the epidemic-related areas, and the subsequent cases have a clear history of contact and exposure. The epidemic is showing a trend of multiple outbreaks. At the same time, this round of epidemic situation in our city has completed the whole genome sequencing of the new coronavirus of 11 cases, and the results show that the virus is all Omicron variant (BA.2 evolutionary branch). The virus sequencing results were highly homologous and presumed to be the same transmission chain. The Omicron variant has strong transmission ability and fast transmission speed. It is very easy to spread the virus in the family. Some schools in Jiutai District have been infected by students. At present, our city is still in the stage of epidemic development and rising, and it is expected that the number of cases will continue to increase in a short period of time.
The general public is reminded to take personal protection, maintain social distance, and avoid going to epidemic-related areas when going out. After returning from epidemic-related areas, they must report to the community in time, take the initiative to carry out nucleic acid testing, and implement control measures in accordance with community requirements.
Changchun is far from alone in seeing rising cases, as yesterday Shanghai reported:
Overnight Reuters is reporting that China's Shanghai shuts schools due to fresh COVID-19 outbreak. Other regions reporting fresh cases include Shandong (n=121), Qingdao (n=103), and Jilin City (n=93).Shanghai On March 10, 2022, 11 new local confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia, 64 new local asymptomatic infections, 32 new overseas imported new coronary pneumonia confirmed cases, 10 new overseas imported asymptomatic infections, and 10 were cured and discharged. 17 cases of asymptomatic infection released from medical observation 7 cases
Although there is talk of a more targeted approach by China in controlling COVID, in the face of rising outbreaks, their Zero-COVID approach appears to be still very much their policy.
