Zhang Yu

JeniZhang13@163.com

THE latest COVID-19 resurgence in Shenzhen is likely caused by contaminated imported goods based on current epidemiological investigation, a municipal health official said at a press conference in Futian District yesterday afternoon.

Shenzhen had reported no new COVID cases as of 5 p.m. yesterday, but it has reported four locally transmitted cases since Friday, which were detected in routine nucleic acid tests of key groups.

The four cases belong to the same transmission chain and are currently receiving treatment at a designated hospital.

Lin Hancheng, an official of the Shenzhen Municipal Health Commission, said at the conference that the four cases were infected with the Delta variant (AY.103 sublineage). The mutant strain was not homologous to the Chinese mainland’s previous local epidemic, Hong Kong’s recent local epidemic, or Shenzhen’s recent imported COVID cases.

“The first case is engaged in international goods supply chain and had recent contact with imported goods. Based on a comprehensive analysis, the possibility is high that local infections in the outbreak are caused by exposure to COVID-19 contaminated overseas products,” Lin said.

Shenzhen initiated a new round of citywide nucleic acid testing from 12 p.m. Friday to 12 a.m. Sunday and a total of 22.1878 million nucleic acid samples were tested, according to Lin. Except for the four positive cases, the other results were negative.

As of 2 p.m. yesterday, 1,056 close contacts and 1,240 secondary close contacts of the four confirmed COVID cases had been put under health monitoring.

Xia Dong, vice head of the Luohu District Government, said at the conference that as of 2 p.m. yesterday, the district had tested 1.05 million nucleic acid samples from its second round of large-scale testing. All the results were negative.

A third round of testing is under way in key subdistricts including Guiyuan, Donghu and Cuizhu, while Liantang Subdistrict has carried out the fourth round of testing.

All sports and entertainment venues, child care facilities, and offline education and training institutions in Luohu were temporarily closed for a week beginning yesterday, according to a notice issued by Luohu’s COVID-19 prevention and control headquarters office.

The first round of large-scale nucleic acid testing in Longgang had been completed, said Gu Gengjun, vice head of the district government. The district began to carry out its second round of testing in Buji, Jihua, Bantian and Nanwan subdistricts starting 6 p.m. Saturday.