Delta outbreak in China’s Fujian puts more than 50 children in hospital isolation
- CDC says the outbreak might have started with a man infected during centralised quarantine rather than someone bringing it into the country
- There are now clusters in three of the province’s coastal cities with movements restricted and mass testing continuing
The outbreak could have started with a man infected during centralised quarantine, rather than an imported case as was previously assumed, according to an official from the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
Officials originally thought the man, who returned from Singapore in August, was infected from abroad – even though he went through a lengthy quarantine period and tested negative multiple times.
Wang Huaqing, chief immunisation expert at the CDC, said the new conclusion was reached after conducting epidemiological investigations, lab tests and genome sequencing.
The latest cases were spread across three coastal cities which have been the focal points of the outbreak, with 38 in Putian, eight in Xiamen, and two in Quanzhou, health authorities said on Thursday morning. They bring the total infections to 2o4, including asymptomatic cases, in a week since the outbreak was detected. There was a slight decrease from the previous two days, when 50 or more new cases were added.
China also reported one local case in its southwestern Yunnan province, although the source of the infection was not immediately clear. There have been no deaths reported.
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The Fujian outbreak is China’s first to include a significant number of schoolchildren and follows a wave of the Delta variant across the country which started in July and had just been brought under control.
More than 50 minors are among the Covid-19 patients in Putian – where the latest outbreak began – according to a tally by local online news outlet The Paper. No information has been provided on their clinical status.
Seven schools have been listed as having infected pupils after two siblings tested positive in routine screening on September 10. Their father, who returned from Singapore in August, also tested positive despite a lengthy quarantine process and multiple negative Covid-19 tests.
On Wednesday, National Health Commission vice-minister Li Bin, who is leading efforts to control the outbreak, visited hospitals and testing centres in Putian to emphasise the importance of preventing and controlling hospital and cross-infections.
Also on Wednesday, a team of 63 paediatric doctors and nurses – including staff from the Shanghai Children’s Medical Centre Fujian Hospital in the provincial capital Fuzhou – arrived in Putian to assist with care of the hospitalised children.
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Provincial schools have been ordered to complete nucleic acid testing of all staff and students by Sunday, and classes in designated areas have been moved online. Kindergartens in some districts of Fuzhou, which has not seen infections, also closed.
Children have typically been less affected by Covid-19, but places like the United States have seen a larger proportion of hospitalisations and confirmed cases among children as more adults have been vaccinated. However, there is no evidence indicating children are targeted by Delta or that their infections are more severe as compared with previous variants.
Respiratory medicine expert Leung Chi-chiu said this outbreak had a much lower overall risk of widespread infection than an earlier outbreak at Nanjing Lukou International Airport, because it did not coincide with a major holiday or travel route.
He said the Fujian outbreak could be controlled within two 14-week incubation periods, if there were no signs of widespread infections within the next two or three days.
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A number of cases in Xiamen have also been linked to a worker at a ceramics and craft factory who tested positive during entry screening on Sunday, according to local media.
To contain the spread of the disease, in addition to mass Covid-19 testing, provincial authorities have closed tourist attractions and banned large social gatherings as the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays approach.
Restrictions on movement are also in place, with provincial expressways under strict controls and around a dozen highways into Putian closed. Residents have been instructed not to leave unless for official duties and with a negative test. Xiamen has also suspended train service to major cities.
