Coronavirus in China: Kashgar set to complete tests on over 4 million residents as it battles to contain latest outbreak
- City in Xinjiang has already found 163 cases of infection after a teenage girl tested positive for Covid-19
- Leading epidemiologist says the fact that all cases are asymptomatic suggests the morbidity of the virus is declining
The city of Kashgar in China’s remote far west is expected to complete nucleic acid testing for all 4.6 million residents by Tuesday as it battles the latest Covid-19 outbreak, local health authorities said.
The local health authorities reported on Monday evening that extensive testing had found 163 cases of infection in the city after a 17-year-old girl was found to be positive during a routine test.
Meanwhile, authorities raised the emergency response to the highest level and the National Health Commission sent a work team to Kashgar to help. At least four townships have been designated “high-risk” areas.
The outbreak in Kashgar came as the worldwide tally of coronavirus infections reached almost 43 million and many countries, including the United States, were still struggling to contain the disease. Several countries have been troubled by their citizens’ refusal to follow social distancing guidelines, and in some authorities have been slow to conduct testing.
01:42
China’s city of Kashgar finds 137 new coronavirus cases after infected teen sets off mass testing
Kashgar is the latest Chinese city to enforce blanket testing. Earlier this month Qingdao, a port city in China’s eastern seaboard, tested 11 million people in five days after a new cluster of local Covid-19 infections emerged.