COVID cases on the rise, China seals Nanjing & expands vaccination drive for school kids

The highly transmissible Delta variant continues to spread in China, with 96 new coronavirus cases reported on Wednesday. According to reports, China has increased its vaccination campaign in schools, targeting children aged 12 to 17. The Ministry of Education in China has encouraged local governments to undertake a vaccination programme for schoolchildren.

The country is now on high alert after an outbreak of infections linked to the international airport in Nanjing, in eastern China, spread to at least 17 provinces. On Wednesday, China reported 71 new cases of COVID-19 from the local transmission, with more than half occurring in Jiangsu province, the capital of which is Nanjing. Mass testing in Wuhan revealed that some of the newly reported cases were identical to those found in Jiangsu province. The delta variant has been identified as the cause of those cases. Another COVID-19 hotspot was forming near the scenic location of Zhangjiajie, which is known for its sandstone cliffs, caves, woods, and waterfalls.

Residential areas to be blocked

On Sunday, the city ordered residential areas to be blocked, prohibiting residents from leaving their houses. On Tuesday, officials issued an order banning anyone from leaving the city, whether tourists or residents. A list of municipal officials who "had a negative impact" on pandemic prevention and control activities was issued by the city government's Communist Party disciplinary committee on Wednesday. 

Passport issuing for tourists suspended

Officials from the National Immigration Administration reinforced the message during a news conference on Wednesday after declaring last week that they were suspending passport issuing for all tourists except those with an urgent need. China's 1.4 billion people had received more than 1.71 billion vaccination doses as of Tuesday. It's unclear how many of those are first or second doses, but according to previous announcements, at least 40% of the population is totally protected.

In addition to the 71 cases of local transmission, 25 foreign tourists with COVID-19 have been quarantined, bringing the total number of new cases for Wednesday to 96. According to the National Health Commission, 15 people have tested positive for the virus but have shown no signs or symptoms. In total, China has documented 4,636 deaths and 93,289 COVID-19 cases, the majority of which stem from the first outbreak in Wuhan, which peaked early last year.

(Inputs from AP News)

Image Credit: AP