Editorial | Spread of Delta strain proves China cannot let its guard down
- Given the world is still struggling with the virus and vaccines are still being rolled out, testing and isolating, improved tracing, social distancing and mask-wearing remain necessary
Fears about the Delta variant of the coronavirus sparking a new global wave have proven accurate, and it is rapidly becoming the dominant strain of the disease. Mainland China, despite its admirable record of warding off infections, is now battling the mutation, with hundreds of cases in Nanjing and an increasing roster of towns and cities in at least seven provinces.
Prevention and control measures that have been working so well have developed weaknesses and authorities have called for their strengthening. Beating the outbreak requires all people making an effort; it is a strategy that has served the nation well before and, with the same determination, it can again succeed.
The outbreak stemmed from a cleaner at Nanjing’s international airport being infected while working on a cargo plane that had arrived from Russia on July 10. Fellow cleaners and other staff and passengers subsequently tested positive.
Outbreaks centre on Nanjing, the capital of the eastern province of Jiangsu, and the tourist city of Zhangjiajie in the central province of Hunan. But the virus is spreading, apparently the result of tracing systems not being as robust as before due to the nature of the Delta strain.
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Mass Covid-19 testing under way across China amid rising infections fuelled by Delta variant
In an effort to stop the disease from taking hold in Beijing, transport from affected areas has been banned.