China’s Covid-19 cases lowest since latest outbreak, but National Day holiday a big worry

Name: Bat viruses being studied in Cambodia to gain new coronavirus pandemic insights
Uploaded: 2021-09-26T05:42:06.000Z
Duration: 1 min 45 s
Description: Bat viruses being studied in Cambodia to gain new coronavirus pandemic insights

Nine locally transmitted cases found on Saturday, all in Fujian and Heilongjiang, with national health chief urging heightened vigilance ahead of week’s break

Three areas in the two provinces identified as high-risk and 34 others as medium-risk, as authorities nationwide tighten epidemic prevention and control

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A medical worker collects swabs for nucleic acid testing at a mobile testing site in Bayan county in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, on September 24. Cases in the Harbin cluster have been identified as the highly transmissible Delta variant. Photo: Xinhua

Amber Wangin Beijing

Published: 1:42pm, 26 Sep 2021Updated: 9:24pm, 26 Sep 2021

China reported nine locally transmitted Covid-19 cases on Saturday, the lowest number since the latest outbreak started about two weeks ago, as the country stepped up disease control measures ahead of the week-long National Day holiday.

Five of the local cases were in Xiamen, in southeastern Fujian province, with the rest reported in the northeastern Heilongjiang province – three of those in Harbin and one in Suihua, according to data released by the National Health Commission on Sunday.

In addition, 20 imported cases were reported across the country, the commission said, bringing the total to 1,013 active cases, with 12 in critical condition.

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Bat viruses being studied in Cambodia to gain new coronavirus pandemic insights

Heilongjiang has become the centre of the latest coronavirus outbreak in China, with a total of 38 cases reported since the first positive case in Harbin’s Bayan county earlier this week. Cases in the Harbin cluster have been identified as the highly transmissible Delta variant.

National Health Commission director Ma Xiaowei met officials in Heilongjiang on Friday, urging them to try to get the outbreak under control before the October 1 holiday begins. He said the situation was complicated and serious, since there were still a lot of uncertainties around the outbreak.

Authorities around the country have been deploying and tightening epidemic prevention and control work, with just days remaining for the weeklong holiday beginning October 1.

Two areas in Fujian and one in Heilongjiang have been identified as having a high risk of spreading the disease, while 34 others in the two provinces are being monitored as medium-risk.

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