Han Ximin

ximhan@126.com

SHENZHEN reported two new imported COVID-19 cases yesterday, according to the city’s health commission.

One of them, a 13-year-old Hong Kong resident surnamed Deng, was studying in Switzerland before he returned to Shenzhen via Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint on Saturday morning. Deng lived in Futian District before he left for Switzerland via Hong Kong on Jan. 4.

Deng claims he noticed symptoms including sore throat and coughing starting March 11 though he didn’t have a fever. He returned from Switzerland on flight CX382. He was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 early yesterday morning.

The other imported case is a 52-year-old male patient surnamed Sun, a Chinese national. Sun returned from Manila via Hong Kong at 10:20 p.m. Friday on flight CX902. His body temperature was normal, but after disclosing he had previously had symptoms including sore throat, he was kept under isolated observation at Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint and later sent to a hospital in Nanshan for testing, where he was confirmed infected. On Saturday, the Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention re-confirmed the test result.

Sun is now being treated at the Shenzhen No. 3 People’s Hospital, according to the commission.

The commission has tracked down six people who have had close contact with Sun. Five of them tested negative for COVID-19, and test results for the sixth was still unknown as of the time of announcement. None have abnormal symptoms.

Sun, a resident of Nanshan District, began working in Manila in July last year.

The first three imported cases came from the U.K., Spain and France on March 1, 6 and 11, respectively.