19 New COVID Cases, Quarantine Hotel Worker Detained

By Ned Kelly, July 26, 2022

Shanghai Health Commission reported a total of 4 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases this morning, Tuesday, July 26. A further 15 local asymptomatic cases were also reported.

Of the 4 new local cases reported, 4 tested positive during central quarantine, while 0 tested positive during regular screening.

Of the 15 new local asymptomatic cases reported, 12 tested positive during central quarantine, while 3 tested positive during regular screening.

The 3 new asymptomatic cases that tested positive during regular screening were in the following areas:

1 in Pudong District
1 in Putuo District
1 in Songjiang District

More mass testing...

Shanghai launched yet more rounds of mass nucleic acid screening from Sunday through Tuesday.

Nine districts will be taking part:

Baoshan
Changning
Hongkou
Huangpu
Jing'an
Minhang
Putuo
Xuhui
Yangpu

Subdistricts or towns with new positive cases will also be subject to the mandatory testing.

During the screening, participants must have a 24-hour negative PCR report to leave or enter their communities, companies and other public venues.

In Baoshan, testing will take place three days in a row, with compounds put under lockdown from the time testing begins until the results come out. Baoshan had previously launched three rounds of screening between Thursday and Saturday.

Quarantine hotel worker detained...

Why the beef in Baoshan? Police in the district have detained a quarantine hotel worker for breaking pandemic control rules and spreading COVID-19.

The 32-year-old woman went home without permission, despite being subject to closed-loop management and banned from leaving the hotel.

She later tested positive for COVID-19 during a regular screening, and lied about her whereabouts during the epidemiological survey. Two of her family members had already been infected.

The hotel and her community have been put under lockdown.

Baoshan cases confirmed as BA.5...

Those three cases in Baoshan have been confirmed as the highly-contagious Omicron BA.5 sub-variant.

BA.5 is characterized by its faster transmission and higher ability to evade immune protection than the previously dominant BA.2 sub-variant.

The good news is that, as of yesterday, no further related infections had been detected from the three cases, according to the Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Shanghai detected its first Omicron BA.5 community infection in Pudong in early July. It was also traced back to an imported case.

And that's not where Baoshan's issues end...

An increasing number of infections have been reported in Baoshan and Yangpu districts of late, mainly designated drivers, delivery and logistics staff as well as wholesalers at local markets.

In other words, people with "wide social contacts and complex movements, posing high risks of transmission once infected," explains Sun Xiaodong, deputy director of the CDC.

Yangpu has joined Baoshan in three-day nucleic acid testing, while a number of subdistricts have been designated medium-risk and put under lockdown for a week.

Baoshan, meanwhile, has asked residents to reduce dining at restaurants or gathering in public places, while a number of restaurants, cinemas and enclosed venues have been ordered to close.

"China COVID-19 vaccines safe and effective"...

China produced COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, the State Council has assured the public, announcing that all Party leaders – right up to the very top – have completed vaccination with domestically developed vaccines.

Across the country, 92.1% of the Chinese population have received at least one vaccine dose, while 89.7% are fully vaccinated and 71.7% have received a booster.

Among those aged 60 and above, 89.6% have received at least one dose, 84.7% are fully vaccinated and 67.3% have received a booster.

A full two courses of COVID-19 vaccines can reduce the risk of severe symptoms to the elderly by 60%, while a third booster shot can further lower the risk by 90%.

Shanghai wants you to get your booster shot...

With sporadic community infections reappearing in the city, authorities are encouraging people to get their COVID-19 booster shot. If you haven't had yours yet, here's how to sign up:

In other COVID news...

China’s travel code, used for checking the travel history of people in the country, now only checks the travel history of users over a 7-day period, as opposed to the previous 14-days:

That restrictive star symbol will no longer appear on the Travel Code app:

China has further eased restrictions for overseas arrivals into the country, with 7-day centralized quarantine plus 3-day ‘health monitoring’ at home (the ‘7+3’ policy) the norm:

A negative PCR test result obtained within the last 72 hours is currently a must in Shanghai should you wish to take part in 'normal life' – click the link below to find out where to get one:

Meanwhile, those Shanghai residents who do not do a PCR test within seven days of their last test will see their health code turn yellow:

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