TOPLINE
China’s chief epidemiologist claimed that Beijing’s recent Covid-19 outbreak has been brought under control Thursday, after more than 150 people tested positive for the virus in connection to the market within the past week and as Chinese shoppers stay away from salmon out of fear of contagion.
People who have had contact with the Xinfadi Wholesale Market or someone who has lined up for a ... [+]
KEY FACTS
Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention chief epidemiologist Wu Zunyou told press Thursday that while he expected to find more Covid-19 cases in the coming days, they would likely be discovered through mass testing throughout the city, and not as new transmissions.
Beijing has counted 158 new infections since June 11, according to Reuters, after detecting no new domestic Covid-19 cases in the city for more than 50 days before last week’s surge.
Almost all of the cases have been linked to Xinfadi market, one of the largest wholesale markets in Asia that supplies 80% of Beijing’s vegetables and meat and has tens of thousands of people walking through its stalls each day.
A preliminary report out Thursday found severe traces of the Covid-19 virus in the market’s seafood and meat sections, which Wu said was likely tied to those area’s low temperatures and high humidity.
Reports last week that traces of the virus were found on a salmon chopping board have resulted in salmon boycotts across China, though experts say there is no evidence the virus can be transmitted via food.
In a Thursday statement, Chinese customs officials said that after testing upwards of 32,000 samples of imported food like seafood, meat, fruit and vegetables, all were negative for the Covid-19 virus.
KEY BACKGROUND
Before the cases reported last week, Beijing was believed to be past the worst of its Covid-19 breakout. With restaurants and shops back open, day-to-day life in Beijing seemed to be returning to normal. The new cases created panic over the possibility of a second wave, and millions of Beijing residents who live near the market were placed under a “soft lockdown,” as schools were closed and travel restricted in what a district official described as “wartime emergency mode.” According to Johns Hopkins University, China has reported nearly 85,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases and nearly 5,000 deaths from the virus, thought experts have cast suspicions on the accuracy of China’s self-reported data. The pandemic that has infected more than 8 million people worldwide is believed to have origins in a market in Wuhan, China.
FURTHER READING
Millions In Beijing Living Under An Expanded Coronavirus Lockdown As Fresh Outbreak Worsens (Forbes)
Beijing In ‘Wartime Emergency Mode’ After New Coronavirus Cluster Found At Market (Forbes)
