BEIJING reported two confirmed locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and one other person testing positive for COVID-19 from Monday to 3 p.m. yesterday, according to local authorities. The two confirmed cases were found in Haidian District, while the person testing positive for COVID-19 was detected in Chaoyang District, said Pang Xinghuo, deputy head of the Beijing municipal center for disease control and prevention. The new confirmed cases are close contacts of a previous case reported Jan. 15. The person testing positive was found yesterday morning and the result was verified by the municipal center for disease prevention and control in the afternoon. The sample collected showed evidence of the Delta variant. Beijing has conducted epidemiological investigations and traced close contacts of the cases. The mainland Monday reported 127 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, the National Health Commission said in its daily report yesterday. Of the new local cases, 102 were reported in Henan, 18 in Tianjin, five in Guangdong, and one each in Beijing and Shaanxi, the commission said. Also reported were 44 new imported cases in nine provincial-level regions, according to the commission. Vice Premier Sun Chunlan has stressed quick response and swift containment of cluster COVID-19 cases as the Chinese New Year is approaching. Sun urged local anti-epidemic authorities to stay alert, improve their efficiency and conduct drills. She also called for efforts to expand the scope of screening in key sectors and at key sites for early detection of infections. Sun made the remarks while researching and directing the anti-epidemic work in Tianjin Municipality from last Wednesday to this Monday. Sun visited residential communities under closed management, schools, designated hospitals, disease control and prevention agencies, and quarantine sites to learn about and push forward the city’s anti-epidemic work. Tianjin has made major progress in containing the latest round of cases caused by the Omicron variant, said Sun. (Xinhua) | 