Coronavirus: outbreak at Beijing food market fuels fears of second wave
- Capital has confirmed 51 local cases since Thursday, including 44 on Saturday and early Sunday
- Many more cases could be going undetected in the capital, public health expert says
Out of the blue, a rush of coronavirus cases of unknown origin struck Beijing on the weekend, pushing new cases in the country to a two-month high.
The fresh outbreak in the nation’s capital came as a shock, with President Xi Jinping last month applauding the country’s efforts to turn the tide of the epidemic.
Ben Cowling, professor and head of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Hong Kong’s school of public health, said he believed that this was the start of a second wave of coronavirus in the capital.
“I think there must be many more infections in Beijing which are not yet detected,” Cowling said.
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The outbreak appears to have started in the Xinfadi market in Fengtai district, though the cause has not been determined. It also is eerily similar to the initial outbreak’s suspected origins in a live animal and seafood market in Wuhan, Hubei province, late last year.