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January 14, 2021

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COVID-19 situation complex, challenging

A CHINESE health authority spokesperson yesterday described the country’s COVID-19 prevention and control situation as “complex” and “challenging.”

China has seen multiple areas report both sporadic cases and clusters of infections, said Mi Feng, spokesperson for the National Health Commission, noting that the latest resurgence of the virus is characterized by its long duration and its spread to a wide range of regions.

Mi said that there are more rural cases and affected elderly people during this wave. Community and intergenerational transmission has also been observed in some areas.

Patients infected during the recent outbreak in north China’s Hebei Province have an average age of 50, and about 30 percent of Hebei’s patients are over 60 years old, said Guo Yanhong of the commission.

With the 2021 Spring Festival travel rush, or chunyun, drawing near, China is expected to see increasing numbers of international and interprovincial travelers.

Under such circumstances, the country’s epidemic control and prevention capacity will be once again put to test, said Wang Bin, an official with the commission.

The commission said yesterday that another 90 locally transmitted cases have been reported in Hebei Province, whose capital Shijiazhuang has accounted for the vast majority of recent cases. Another 16 cases were reported in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang and one in the northern province of Shanxi.

Heilongjiang yesterday declared a COVID-19 emergency. The city of Suihua, which borders the provincial capital Harbin, put its 5.2 million people under lockdown.

Most of the cases in Heilongjiang have been found in Wangkui County, under Suihua’s jurisdiction.

The Ministry of Transport has called on local authorities to strengthen control over passenger traffic plying in and out of areas designated medium- and high-risk for COVID-19 to curb the latest resurgence in cases. In principle, interprovincial and intercity road passenger transportation, as well as intercity public transportation in and out of such areas should be suspended.




 

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