On August 31, at the press conference on COVID-19 prevention and control in Guangzhou, officials from Guangzhou Health Commission, Haizhu District Government and the Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention offered COVID-19 updates in Guangzhou.

On August 30, 2 COVID-19 cases were identified in routine PCR testing in communities in Guangzhou, and 5 cases have been detected among close contacts so far. The details are as follows:

2 COVID-19 cases identified in routine PCR testing in communities:

The 1st patient is a 66-year-old man who lives in Longfeng Subdistrict, Haizhu District;

The 2nd patient is a 66-year-old woman, who is the older sister of the wife of the 1st patient and lives with the couple.

5 cases detected among close contacts:

The 3rd patient is a 62-year-old woman, who is the wife of the 1st patient;

The 4th patient is a 36-year-old woman, who is the daughter of the 1st patient and lives in Dashi Subdistrict, Panyu District;

The 5th patient is a 3-year-old boy, who is the son of the 4th patient;

The 6th patient is a 63-year-old woman;

The 7th patient is a 62-year-old woman. Both the 6th and the 7th patients live in Jiangnanzhong Subdistrict, Haizhu District, and were exposed to the virus with the 3rd patient at the same swimming pool.

All 7 patients have been transferred to Guangzhou No. 8 People's Hospital for quarantine and treatment and have been diagnosed as confirmed COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms except the 7th patient who has been diagnosed as an asymptomatic COVID-19 case. Their conditions are stable.

Genomic Sequencing Shows Omicron BA.2.76 Variant Causing the Current COVID-19 Outbreak

Genomic sequencing shows that Omicron BA.2.76 variant is the cause of the current COVID-19 outbreak. The medical personnel is working around the clock on epidemiological investigations, but the source of the infection has been unknown for now.

According to current epidemiological investigations, the places where cases had been are complex, involving crowded places like swimming pools, and markets. Thus, there is a high risk of community transmission.

After the outbreak, the municipal government and the district governments immediately started the emergency response mechanism, quickly set up on-site working groups for unified scheduling, and fully launched prevention and control works such as epidemiological investigation, contact tracing, transfer and quarantine, control and management of key sites, and PCR testing.

As of 8:00 today, 1,213 people have been screened for close contacts and 311 for secondary close contacts. All of them are under health management measures now. Guangzhou now offers 2,412 PCR testing sites and 6,694 testing units, which have collected 8,186,000 samples.

Controlled Areas Designated in Haizhu District

Based upon the comprehensive assessment of the current COVID-19 situation that Guangzhou is facing great challenges in COVID-19 prevention and control, and to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Haizhu District has designated some controlled areas as follows:

High-risk zone: 7 buildings, from No. 6 to No. 12 in Fenghuang 2nd Street. Residents shall undergo mandatory home quarantine. Necessary services and goods will be delivered to their doorsteps.

Medium-risk zone: the area encircled by Fenghuang 4th Street in the east, Gongye Avenue North in the west, Lifu Road in the south, and Meiyuan South Road in the north. Residents shall not leave the designated zone and deliveries must be collected on a staggered schedule.

Low-risk zone: the area encircled by Dongxiao Road in the east, the Pearl River in the west, Changgang Road in the south, and Binjiang West Road in the north. Social activities and gatherings will be restricted in this area.

Temperature checks, health code scanning and PCR testing results checks shall be carried out at the entrance of communities, public institutions, and organizations in the low-risk zone;

Public enterprises and institutions in the region shall encourage their staff to work from home;

All the enclosed and semi-enclosed venues shall suspend operations except those that sustain the supply of necessities;

All dine-in services shall be suspended;

Some stops of subway and bus stations shall suspend operations, and two-way trains shall pass without stopping at these stops;

All kindergartens, primary and middle schools in Haizhu District shall suspend their return to school and offline teaching, all training institutions shall suspend offline teaching, and nursery and childcare institutions shall suspend their services.

Multiple and Frequent Outbreaks across China with A High Risk of Transmission from Other Places to Guangzhou

Currently, the domestic COVID-19 epidemic features frequent outbreaks in many places with a high risk of transmission from other places to Guangzhou.

From August 1st to 29th, 24 locally transmitted cases were reported in Guangzhou including 22 cases transmitted from other provinces or connected to them.

For epidemic control in Guangzhou, residents are suggested to pay close attention to the information released by district governments and local departments and follow the safety protocols as required.

I. Trace Tracking. Residents should immediately report if they are exposed at the same location as the confirmed cases. To stop the transmission as soon as possible, Haizhu District and Panyu District released the lists of key sites and conducted control measures in related places. Please check your recent travel history based on the lists.

Since August 23rd, if your find yourself exposed at the same location as the briefed cases, you should timely report to the community and follow the corresponding health management measures by the instructions of the staff.

At the same time, please also remind your family, friends, and colleagues to pay close attention to their travel history, and those with a yellow health code should go to the designated PCR testing sites as soon as possible.

II. Reopening the School. Faculty members and students should conduct health monitoring for the incoming new semester in primary and middle schools and universities.

Hereby, we would like to remind faculty members, students, and their parents to take the PCR testing within 48 hours before entering the school and carry out the PCR testing organized by schools and universities after the semester begins. Parents should pay close attention to the lists of key sites and risk areas and check their children's travel history. Students exposed at the same location as the confirmed cases shall timely report to their communities and schools, suspend returning to school, and follow the corresponding health management measures by the instructions of the staff.

III. Reporting Health Condition. People returning to Guangzhou shall timely report their health condition.

People returning to Guangzhou shall timely report their health condition via the Yuekang code (Guangdong health code, GHC) or Suikang mini program. Those who are exposed at locations involved in confirmed cases and contacted with confirmed or suspected cases shall timely report to their communities and fulfill their obligations like PCR testing and quarantines.

Residents shall not conceal their illness or travel history; they should pay close attention to the information released by government departments on the prevention and control of the epidemic; they should cooperate with the prevention and control requirements such as scanning venue codes and temperature checks when entering public places such as residential communities and supermarkets, and wear a mask all the time; if residents have symptoms such as fever and dry cough, please go to the fever clinic in a timely manner.

IV. Vaccinating. Residents, especially the elderly should be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the efficacy of vaccines in preventing severe cases and death has remained at a high level at home and abroad. Vaccines could boost the immune system and further reduce the risk of hospitalization, severe cases, and death.

From the epidemic data at home and abroad, regardless of the different variants of COVID-19, the vaccines still have a neutralizing effect on them. Vaccines can effectively reduce the risk of severe cases and death. Here, we urge the public, especially the elderly, to take the COVID-19 vaccine and complete the full three-dose vaccination.

Guangzhou CDC:

Look at the the Current Epidemic Control in Three Aspects

First, outbreaks at home. Since July and August, there have been locally transmitted cases in many cities, which has been a relatively rapid increase compared to the previous. Many places have reported a high proportion of community transmission with various variants and some places have even isolated different strains of variants.

All these show that the current epidemic in China features outbreaks in many places, extensive coverage, high frequency, and a long time to control. Given the background, there is an increasing risk of transmission from other places to Guangzhou.

It can be confirmed by the recent reports that there are many positive results of the PCR testing from people returning to Guangzhou.

Second, traffic. The travel during summer vacation and the incoming semester increases the flow of people who come or return to Guangzhou.

Due to various reasons, there are both point-to-point direct arrivals and indirect arrivals through transits. All of these increase the infection risk for the movement of people and further impose the difficulty in targeted disease prevention and control to people involved in COVID-19 in Guangzhou.

Third, transmission features of the virus. It is found in recent cases that the Omicron Variant, especially the BA.2.76 Variant, has not only stronger transmission capacity, and faster transmission speed, but also more various ways of transmission and more latent characteristics.

This is a reminder for us to respond faster and take prevention and control measures more decisively.

Based on the three points above, Guangzhou CDC believes the current disease prevention and control is under considerable pressure in the city. We urge residents in Guangzhou to pool our efforts to weather the challenge under such pressure.

Guangzhou CDC Urges Inbound Travelers to Make Reports

1. Make reports.

All inbound travelers are required to declare their itinerary information on Suikang mini-program before leaving for Guangzhou. After arrival, travelers shall report to their local community and take 2 tests in 3 days.

If you come from a prefecture-level city with local cases, you shall also undergo home health monitoring, home quarantine, or centralized quarantine as required by the local government.

2. Get tested.

Getting tested regularly can not only help monitor your health, but also facilitate COVID-19 risk assessments and policy-making in case of an epidemic outbreak.

Therefore, we urge residents to take 2-3 tests a week where possible, or follow the PCR testing schedule required by the local government.

3. Protect yourself.

Due to the recent hot weather, some residents are getting slack in personal protection. However, as COVID-19 is transmitted by exposure to infectious respiratory fluids, the most direct countermeasure is mouth and nose covering. That is why we have been calling for residents to continue to wear a mask in public places and change their masks often. It is also necessary to keep rooms well-aired and wash hands often.

Proper personal protection is particularly important in crowded and indoor facilities. For example, as shown by the investigation results, one of the key sites in this outbreak is Baogang Stadium Swimming Hall.

If you have been to Baogang Stadium and/or Baogang Stadium Swimming Hall in recent days, especially since August 28, please report to your community committee as soon as possible.

4. Go to the hospital when symptoms arise

If you experience a fever, dry cough, sore throat and other respiratory infection symptoms, be sure to go to the hospital promptly. Do not try to treat yourself by taking medicines without medical guidance, as it may lead to a delayed diagnosis.

The spokesperson of Guangzhou CDC said that the source of this outbreak is still unclear and there could be unidentified community transmission. The battle against COVID-19 remains tough.

The epidemiological investigation and site management are going on from dawn to dusk. We require your support and cooperation to win this fight.