A medical worker collects sample from a citizen for nucleic acid testing at a testing site in Heping district, Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning province, May 19, 2021. (YANG QING / XINHUA)
BEIJING – The recent COVID-19 cases in Anhui and Liaoning provinces contracted the novel coronavirus via individuals or articles from abroad, said the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) Thursday.
The actual infection source of COVID-19 cases in Anhui and Liaoning is still under investigation, said Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the China CDC, at a press conference in Beijing.
As there were no local transmissions recently, the virus must have come from infected individuals or contaminated articles from abroad, he said.
Considering the result of screening tests in Anhui and Liaoning provinces, the infection scale will not be as serious as earlier this year, said Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the China CDC
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"The genetic sequence of the COVID-19 viruses found in the Anhui and Liaoning cases were the same. We believe the cases were along the same transmission chain," Wu said.
Considering the result of screening tests in the two provinces, the infection scale will not be as serious as earlier this year, he said.
Mainland sees 1 local case in Liaoning
The Chinese mainland on Wednesday reported one new locally transmitted COVID-19 case in Liaoning province, the National Health Commission said in its daily report on Thursday.
The same day also saw 11 new imported cases on the mainland, five of which were posted in Zhejiang, two in Shanghai, and one each in Tianjin, Guangdong, Sichuan and Shaanxi.
No new suspected cases or deaths related to COVID-19 were reported, the commission said.
By the end of Wednesday, the mainland had reported 90,920 confirmed cases, including 85,990 recoveries and 4,636 deaths
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By the end of Wednesday, the mainland had reported 90,920 confirmed cases, including 85,990 recoveries and 4,636 deaths. A total of 5,901 imported cases had been reported with no deaths.
There were 294 patients still receiving treatment, five of whom were in severe condition, the commission said.
There was one suspected case by Wednesday, it added.
Also on Wednesday, 16 new asymptomatic cases were reported, of which 15 arrived from outside the mainland and one was reported in Anhui. There were a total of 350 asymptomatic cases, of whom 331 were imported, under medical observation.
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By the end of Wednesday, 11,827 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 210 deaths, had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), while 50 cases had been reported in the Macao SAR, and 2,533 cases, including 14 deaths, had been reported in Taiwan.
A total of 11,539 COVID-19 patients in the Hong Kong SAR had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, 49 in the Macao SAR, and 1,133 in Taiwan.
More than 449.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in China as of Wednesday, the commission said on Thursday.