Beware! Two more cases of Omicron infection detected in China! The latest assessment by the National Health Commission...

From 0:00 to 24:00 on December 18, 83 new confirmed cases were reported in 31 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Among them, 39 cases were imported from abroad (14 in Shanghai, 7 in Guangxi, 5 in Guangdong, 3 in Liaoning, 3 in Yunnan, 3 in Gansu, 2 in Fujian, 1 in Tianjin, and 1 in Sichuan), including 2 cases converted from asymptomatic infections to confirmed cases (1 in Tianjin and 1 in Sichuan); 44 local cases (31 in Zhejiang, including 25 in Shaoxing and 6 in Ningbo; 10 in Shaanxi, all in Xi'an; 3 in Guangdong, including 2 in Dongguan and 1 in Guangzhou), including 1 case converted from asymptomatic infections to confirmed cases (in Zhejiang). No new deaths were reported. There were 2 new suspected cases, both of which were imported from abroad (both in Shanghai).

On that day, 46 new cured and discharged cases were reported, 1,413 close contacts were released from medical observation, and the number of severe cases remained the same as the previous day.

There are 574 confirmed cases imported from abroad (including 4 severe cases) and 5 suspected cases. A total of 10,623 cases have been confirmed, 10,049 cases have been cured and discharged, and there are no deaths.

As of 24:00 on December 18, according to reports from 31 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government) and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, there are 1,685 confirmed cases (including 6 severe cases), 93,963 cured and discharged cases, 4,636 deaths, 100,284 confirmed cases, and 5 suspected cases. A total of 1,383,104 close contacts have been traced, and 50,087 close contacts are still under medical observation.

31 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps reported 41 new asymptomatic infections, including 37 imported cases and 4 local cases (3 cases in Shaanxi, both in Xi'an; 1 case in Shanghai, in Hongkou District); 3 cases were converted to confirmed cases on the same day (2 cases were imported from abroad); 13 cases were released from medical observation on the same day (12 cases were imported from abroad); 496 asymptomatic infections are still under medical observation (448 cases were imported from abroad).

A total of 29,394 confirmed cases have been reported from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, including 12,518 in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (12,182 discharged and 213 deaths), 77 in the Macao Special Administrative Region (77 discharged), and 16,799 in Taiwan (13,742 discharged and 849 deaths).

Changsha detected 2 cases of infection with the Omicron variant among inbound personnel

Hunan Center for Disease Control and Prevention conducted whole genome sequencing and sequence analysis of respiratory specimens of COVID-19 patients imported from abroad on December 16. After review by China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Omicron variant of COVID-19 (B.1.1.529 evolutionary branch) was confirmed. The two patients infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19 were persons under closed-loop control at the border and are currently receiving isolated treatment in designated hospitals.

The general public should continue to maintain good hygiene habits, adhere to effective prevention and control measures such as wearing masks scientifically, getting vaccinated, washing hands frequently, and not gathering. In particular, children aged 3 to 11 and the elderly over 60 should actively cooperate with the new crown vaccination work. Inbound personnel, personnel in high-risk positions, and personnel in key epidemic areas should actively report after returning to Hunan and cooperate with health monitoring and classification management. They should insist on not leaving the country unless necessary, reduce unnecessary travel, and not relax, and jointly resist the risks brought by the new coronavirus mutant strains.

Changsha Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Prevention and Control Command Center

December 18, 2021

Ministry of Culture and Tourism: This type of inter-provincial travel should be suspended immediately

On December 17, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued a notice requiring strict implementation of the "fuse" mechanism for the management of cross-provincial tourism business activities. For provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) with medium- and high-risk areas, travel agencies and online travel companies will immediately suspend cross-provincial group tours and "air ticket + hotel" business in the province (autonomous region and municipality) and announce it in a timely manner.

△Source: Ministry of Culture and Tourism official website

The full text is as follows

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General Office of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism

Regarding strengthening the 2022 New Year's Day and Spring Festival

Notice on epidemic prevention and control for tourist groups

To the Departments of Culture and Tourism of all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government, and the Culture, Sports, Radio, Film, Television, and Tourism Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps:

In order to do a good job in the prevention and control of the new coronavirus pneumonia during the New Year's Day and Spring Festival in 2022, in accordance with the requirements of the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council, we will not relax and scientifically and accurately do a good job in the prevention and control of the epidemic among tourist groups. The relevant matters are hereby notified as follows:

1. Strictly implement the "fuse breaker" mechanism for the management of cross-provincial tourism business activities. For provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) with medium- and high-risk areas, immediately suspend travel agencies and online travel companies from operating cross-provincial group tours and "air ticket + hotel" businesses in the province (autonomous region and municipality) and make timely announcements.

2. From now until March 15, 2022, travel agencies and online travel companies will suspend operating cross-provincial group tours and "air ticket + hotel" businesses in and out of land border port cities (except those connected to Hong Kong and Macao ports).

3. Travel agencies and online travel companies should comprehensively strengthen employee health monitoring and regularly organize tour guides and other front-line staff to undergo nucleic acid testing. Implement local epidemic prevention and control requirements in transportation, accommodation, catering, sightseeing, shopping, etc., pay close attention to information such as tourism flow restrictions and risk warnings, reasonably plan travel routes, control the size of travel groups, and timely and accurately report travel group information on the national tourism supervision service platform.

4. All localities should fully understand the importance of epidemic prevention and control work for tourist groups during the New Year's Day and Spring Festival in 2022, and guide and urge travel agencies and online travel companies to strictly, carefully and practically implement prevention and control measures in recruitment, organization, reception and other links.

In accordance with the requirements of the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council, the specific scope of land border port cities will be determined and announced in a timely manner by the relevant provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) based on the needs of epidemic prevention and control.

Please be notified.

General Office of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism

December 17, 2021

Xi'an and Dongguan are in the same transmission chain! The National Health Commission has analyzed the latest national epidemic situation——

On the afternoon of December 18, the State Council’s Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism held a press conference to introduce the relevant situation of scientific and precise epidemic prevention and control during the New Year’s Day and Spring Festival.

At the meeting, He Qinghua, a first-level inspector of the National Health Commission's Disease Control and Prevention Bureau, introduced that the overall national epidemic situation remains relatively stable. Some of the local clustered epidemics caused by imported epidemics from abroad have been brought under control, while others are under control.

There have been no new cases in Longchuan, Yunnan for 8 consecutive days, and the epidemic has been effectively controlled.

Harbin and Qiqihar in Heilongjiang have not had any new cases for four consecutive days, and the epidemic has been basically controlled.

The epidemic in Manzhouli, Inner Mongolia has been basically controlled and has entered the final stage.

The newly added sporadic cases in Ningbo, Hangzhou, Shanghai and other places in Zhejiang Province in recent days all came from centralized isolation points. The epidemic risks have been gradually brought under control. Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province is still in a stage of continuous development. The epidemic is mainly concentrated in the closed and controlled areas, and there is still a risk of subsequent transmission in the area.

The gene sequencing of cases in Xi'an, Shaanxi and Dongguan, Guangdong is highly homologous, and they are from the same transmission chain with the same imported source from abroad. These two places should be strictly controlled. The epidemic situation in the two places is still developing and there is a possibility of further spread. The investigation of risk personnel and the control of key areas are being carried out as soon as possible.

Overall, the recent domestic epidemic situation is still characterized by local sporadic and large-scale clustering. Air ports and land ports are the main import routes, mainly caused by imported cases from abroad and related items and cold chain food. Recently, the Comprehensive Group of the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council sent working groups to Guangdong and Shaanxi to guide local governments in handling the epidemic.

In the next step, the National Health Commission will continue to guide all localities to implement the deployment of the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council, promote nucleic acid testing and epidemiological investigation and tracing, strengthen the management of isolation points and community control, speed up the screening of high-risk groups and places, and ensure that various measures are implemented in a timely manner to prevent the further spread of the epidemic.

Information comes from the official website of the National Health Commission, Changsha News, Beijing Daily, and the official website of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism