Twelve new local COVID-19 cases suspected of coming from overseas
Citizens line up to receive nucleic acid testing at a hospital in Yangpu District.
Shanghai reported four locally transmitted COVID-19 cases with mild symptoms and eight local asymptomatic cases on Monday afternoon.
All 12 new cases tested positive after being centrally quarantined as close contacts of previous cases, Wu Jinglei, head of the Shanghai Health Commission, said at a press briefing. All of them have had two jabs of COVID-19 vaccines.
The four local cases and four of the asymptomatic cases are related to cases reported at the central quarantine site in Xuhui District on Sunday, while the other four asymptomatic cases are related to previous cases reported at Putuo District's Shiquan Community Cultural Activity Center.
The four local cases and four of the asymptomatic cases are related to cases reported at the central quarantine site in Xuhui District on Sunday.
1200 Caoxi Road N. in downtown Xuhui District is a medium-risk area.
The cases, all males between 24 and 59 years old, have been sent to the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center and are in stable condition, said Wu. They live in Putuo, Xuhui, Minhang, Jiading and Baoshan districts.
A total of 451 people who had close links with the new cases reported in Xuhui have been put under quarantine and medical observation as of 1pm Monday. Among them, 406 have tested negative and the rest are undergoing examination.
A total of 157,449 people have been screened, 153,804 of whom have tested negative and the rest are in the process of being tested. A total of 421 environmental samples have been collected, 29 of which, collected at the central quarantine site in Xuhui, have tested positive.
Shanghai currently has four medium-risk areas: 1200 Caoxi Road N. in downtown Xuhui District; the No. 1 building at 3705 Bao'an Highway in Jiading District; the Yonghui Supermarket on Huting Road N. in Songjiang District; and Putuo District's Shiquan Community Cultural Activity Center on Ningqiang Road.
The four asymptomatic cases are related to previous cases reported at Putuo District's Shiquan Community Cultural Activity Center.
Putuo District's Shiquan Community Cultural Activity Center on Ningqiang Road is also a medium-risk area.
Overseas origin
The origin of this round of new COVID-19 cases that started in Putuo is likely from overseas, said Yuan Zheng'an, Party secretary of the Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Gene sequencing shows the case initially reported in Putuo on March 1 is the Omicron variant, highly homologous to imported cases in some other Chinese regions, said Yuan.
Other related cases in Putuo, including four local and 19 asymptomatic cases, belong to the same transmission chain. Most of them are retirees and their family members or colleagues who tested positive after being centrally quarantined, he added.
Additional local hospitals and venues have suspended operations.
Xinhua Hospital suspended its adult fever clinic services and reminded every patient and family members, including children, to wear masks, keep social distance and wash hands frequently. Other services at the hospital continue to operate, including outpatient, emergency, inpatient and nucleic acid testing.
Shanghai Renji Hospital suspended outpatient, emergency and fever clinics at its eastern branch at 160 Pujian Road in the Pudong New Area.
Xuhui District Juvenile Water Sports School at 329 Fenglin Road shut down its public sports facilities, including the swimming pool, gyms and badminton, tennis and ping pong courts.
A local hospital suspends its outpatient and emergency services.
People line up to receive nucleic acid testing at a hospital in Yangpu District.
The Xuhui marriage and adoption registration center on the third floor of 999 Nanning Road also halted services for screenings on personnel and the environment, the district's civil affairs bureau said.
Some local residential communities have also been put under quarantine for COVID-19 screenings.
After receiving a call for nucleic acid testing, citizens are reminded to follow the arrangements of community staff and go to the designated sample collection site with their identity cards and mobile phones. They must wear masks and stay at least one meter away from others to prevent cross infection, said Wu.
Liu Min, deputy director of the city's commerce commission, said the city's food supplies remain sufficient and can be guaranteed despite the ongoing pandemic.
Major e-commerce platforms have enhanced food supplies for communities under quarantine, Liu said.
Local shopping malls and supermarkets have strengthened COVID-19 prevention measures and vaccinations among employees.
People are required to receive temperature and health code checks as well as register their information and wear masks before entering malls and supermarkets, she added.
