Only 12 positive samples as Beijing tests 20m people
But senior disease control official in capital warns ‘current risk is complex and severe’
Only a dozen positive samples were found in Beijing’s first round of mass Covid-19 testing involving nearly 20 million people, a health official has said.
The capital has been on high alert against the pandemic as it prepares to host a key Communist Party meeting in autumn expected to feature a major leadership reshuffle.
A sudden spike in cases over the weekend prompted the launch of a three-round testing programme in its biggest district on Monday, which was then expanded across most of the city as a precaution.
Only 12 samples returned positive results, according to Li Ang, deputy director of Beijing’s health commission. Three of those came from a “temporary control area” – sealed off after the detection of early cases. The rest were from non-control areas in five districts.
By yesterday afternoon, Beijing had identified 138 local infections since the outbreak began last Friday. About a third of them involved children, according to Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The current risk is complex and severe,” Pang said, highlighting the need to “resolutely implement” and “dynamically adjust” epidemic prevention and control measures.
“Some students’ activities involved off-campus training, which increases the risk of epidemic transmission,” she added.
Tongzhou district, home to the capital’s municipal government, told parents not to send their children to school yesterday and started a homeschool programme that will remain in place until further notice.
The district found five more infections yesterday, including three students and a teacher who stayed at an off-campus training centre on Saturday. A previously identified Covid-19 case had been to the training centre that day.
A notice to schools in Tongzhou urged people not to panic, to monitor their health, to follow advice, take part in the community nucleic acid testing and for children to be vaccinated.
The biggest district of Chaoyang, where most cases were found, uncovered three positive results in the mass tests but the results were yet to be confirmed, the district government said.
Despite only localised pandemic-related curbs being imposed in the Chaoyang neighbourhood where cases were found, recent food shortages in Shanghai amid a prolonged lockdown there has prompted Beijing residents to stock up on groceries for fear of tighter controls or even a lockdown.
Panic buying has continued for several days even though authorities insist there is no supply issue.
“Government officials only said there is no shortage but they didn’t say it was unnecessary to stock [up on] food. I think it is wise and more convenient just to have food supplies lasting for two weeks,” said Lily Zhou, an office worker in Haidian district. “It eased my mind to have a refrigerator stuffed with food.”
Zhao Weidong, deputy head of Beijing’s Commercial Bureau, said there was no food shortage in the city.
Vegetable supplies from seven wholesale markets had increased yesterday, he said.
Prices of vegetables, grains and cooking oil were generally stable in Beijing, but sales and prices of pork and eggs had spiked.
“The government has sufficient reserves for all life necessities,” Zhao said.