Beijing still at risk during COVID-19 breakout

The COVID-19 epidemic situation in Beijing is still developing and the risk of hidden spreading in community level still exists, officials said on Thursday.

"We will dynamically optimize and adjust the epidemic prevention and control policy to cope with the situation," Liu Xiaofeng, deputy director of the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, said at a news conference on Thursday. "Meanwhile, the government will continue to pay attention to the detection, transportation and quarantine of infected cases, as well as screening the risk of hidden dangers, to ensure that the quality and efficiency of the epidemic response."

Between midnight and 3 pm on Thursday, Beijing reported 218 locally transmitted COVID-19 infections, with 162 asymptomatic carriers. All the 56 confirmed patients were diagnosed as mild cases.

Among them, 195 were found among those under quarantine and the other 23 were detected at the community level. Chaoyang district, the hardest-hit area in the capital, reported 95 cases.

"The current outbreak has involved several densely populated industries and places, including catering establishments, schools, urban villages and construction sites," said Liu. "We must deal with cluster infections in scientific, precise and efficient way."

Staff members should strengthen risk screening in densely populated places as well as completely implement measures, including health code scanning, body temperature measurement, nucleic acid test checking and public disinfection, Liu added.

He also urged residents to keep good health habits and avoid unnecessary gatherings to reduce the risk of transmission.

As of 2pm on Sunday, Beijing had reported two confirmed cases in severe condition in the latest outbreak.