A villager from Shizhuang Village is undergoing Covid-19 tests in Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, on January 12.
Photographer: Xing Guangli / Xinhua through Getty Images
Photographer: Xing Guangli / Xinhua through Getty Images
China has reported its first death from coronavirus in nine months, as a new explosion in the country spreads to several regions before the Chinese New Year holidays.
The country recorded 124 new local infections on Thursday, the highest since March. Of these, 81 were found in Hebei, a province surrounding Beijing, which is at the center of the latest group. The other 43 cases were found in China’s northeastern province of Heilongjiang.
The death was a woman who had a basic condition, according to the Xinhua news agency, which quotes the Hebei Health Commission. China has not had a Covid-19-related death since April, as the country has successfully eliminated groups after controlling the first wave of infections a year ago.
However, the latest outbreak, which has spread to eight provinces, appears to be one of China’s biggest challenges since the initial growth in Wuhan. The virus was found to “last longer, spread more widely, spread faster, with a higher percentage of elderly and rural patients,” health officials said Wednesday.
Winter conditions have affected many countries, including neighboring Japan and South Korea, which previously contained the virus well, as cold temperatures cause people to stay indoors in unventilated places, fueling the spread of the pathogen.
China’s new outbreak, while small compared to other countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, is worrying, as it comes less than a month before the New Year holidays, in which hundreds of millions of Chinese they travel to meet their families. The country advises its people to avoid unnecessary travel around the holiday.
Three cities are currently closed in Hebei. Flights and trains were suspended and private cars were discouraged from leaving the city limits at border checkpoints. The scene is reminiscent of the blockade in Wuhan adopted almost a year ago, which was the first major signal to the world of Covid-19 severity.
Hebei launched a second round of mass testing for some cities, after testing tens of millions of people and detecting more than 300 positive cases in the first round earlier this month.
Unlike the chaos of the Wuhan outbreak a year ago, local governments appear to be acting swiftly to help residents get stuck in efforts to secure food supplies. The officials are urging the rapid delivery of milk to processors and chickens on farms, while controlling vegetable prices. However, according to posts circulated on social networks, food prices rise in local markets, causing anxiety.
Hebei’s proximity to Beijing is also testing the nerves of China’s capital. Beijing has stepped up prevention and social distance measures that have not been seen for months.
Taxis and car sales applications are pushing for a mandatory health code scan, so contact tracking can be done faster if an infection is found. Stricter controls are needed at residential complexes, restaurants and other public places. Some schools have asked parents to keep their children at home until after the holidays.
– With the help of Claire Che