Zhang Yu

JeniZhang13@163.com

SHENZHEN has endeavored to reinforce its capabilities in response to the latest COVID-19 outbreak mainly caused by the highly contagious Omicron subvariant BA.5, which has posed more severe challenges to the city’s COVID prevention and control work, according to a press conference yesterday.

Lin Hancheng, a senior health official with the municipal health commission, said at the conference that Shenzhen has put forward higher, faster and stricter requirements for the emergency response to the epidemic situation, epidemiological investigations, and prevention and control of hospital infections in view of the mutant strain’s characteristics.

The city has also taken comprehensive measures in border control, cross-border cargo transportation, screening of inbound travelers from medium- and high-risk areas, and the prevention of epidemic spillover.

“Shenzhen will continue to improve the risk analysis, monitoring and early-warning capabilities of epidemiological investigation centers at the municipal and district levels, speed up the transfer of close contacts and positive infections, and reduce the risk of secondary infections in communities,” Lin said.

In addition, the city will further improve its sewage nucleic acid monitoring network and adopt health management measures on personnel in buildings where the sewage tests positive for COVID.

(Continued on P3)