At the press conference on COVID-19 prevention and control in Shanghai held on today’s morning, Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control & Prevention and Pudong New Area briefed about the latest progress in Shanghai’s COVID-19 prevention and control.
Pudong New Area: On November 22, 2020, we found 2 suspected cases of Covid-19 when tracing and screening close contacts of previously confirmed case. One is the co-worker of the confirmed case surnamed Wu who worked at the west freight station of UPS Shanghai International Hub, and the other is the wife of the confirmed case surnamed Wang who worked at the same place with Wu. The municipal and district centers for disease control and prevention carried out nucleic acid testing on the above two suspected cases, and the results were positive. After group consultations of municipal-level medical experts, as well as comprehensive assessment of their clinical data, imaging examination, and laboratory test results, they were diagnosed as confirmed cases of COVID-19 and transferred to Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center for isolation and treatment.
Municipal- and district-level departments responded quickly by carrying out comprehensive epidemiological survey, tracing and screening related personnel, and taking disease precaution measures for related personnel and environment. Here is the briefing on the latest progress:
Case 1 is 46-year-old Mr. Cao, a close contact with the confirmed case Wu. He was isolated for medical observation at the centralized isolation center and tested positive after taking the nucleic acid testing. He had evident symptom of fatigue, and the CT scan of his lung showed signs of inflammation. The case was transferred to Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center for isolation and treatment.
He works for UPS Parcel Delivery Service (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., and lives in in Lane 126 Estate, Shunhe Road, Zhangjiang Town of Pudong New Area. The epidemiological investigation showed that besides his workplace, he had also visited Yuqing Deli in Sunqiao Food Market and other places within 14 days. We have ensured close-off management and terminal disinfection in the above places.
Case 2 is 30-year-old Ms. Zhang, a close contact with the confirmed case Wang who works for UPS Parcel Delivery Service (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. She was isolated for medical observation at the centralized isolation center and tested positive after taking the nucleic acid testing. She had symptom of cough, and the CT scan of her lung showed signs of inflammation. She was immediately transferred to Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center for isolation and treatment.
She works for Nippon Express (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. as a customer service representative and is the wife of Wang, the case confirmed on November 21, 2010. She lives in Xinsheng Residential Area, Zhuqiao Town, Pudong New Area. The epidemiological investigation showed that besides his workplace, she had also visited KFC on Chenyang Road and Chabaidao Milk Tea Shop at Sunshine Paradise Shopping Plaza on Gaoke East Road, among other places, within 14 days. We have ensured close-off management and terminal disinfection in the above places.
The confirmed case Wang notified by us on the evening of November 21, 2020 had a temperature of 37.9°C and displayed symptoms of cough and white sputum. The CT scan of his lung showed signs of inflammation. He was immediately transferred to Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center for isolation and treatment.
The case is also an employee of UPS Parcel Delivery Service (Shanghai) Co.，Ltd. He is the husband of confirmed case Zhang. They resided in Xinsheng Residential Area of Zhuqiao Town, Pudong New Area. Apart from his work place, the case had been to places including KFC on Chenyang Road and Chabaidao Milk Tea Shop at Sunshine Paradise Shopping Plaza on Gaoke East Road. We have ensured close-off management and terminal disinfection in the above places.
As per our screening, we had traced 55 close contacts of abovesaid cases Cao and Zhang as of 08:00 a.m. on November 23, 2020 and placed them under isolation for medical observation. All of them tested negative after first round of sampling for nucleic acid testing.
So far, we have conducted screening and nucleic acid testing of 2,541 people. All of them tested negative.
As of 08:00 a.m. on November 23, 2020, we had taken 378 samples of food, articles, and environment, among other things. All of their nucleic acid testing returned negative result.
We are making all efforts to complete epidemiological investigation and nucleic acid testing of related personnel so that all those in need are investigated and tested.
Shanghai Municipal Health Commission: As Shanghai confirmed one COVID-19 case on November 9, 2020, Yingqian Village of Zhuqiao Town, Pudong New Area was classified as a medium-risk region. As of November 23, 2020，there has been no newly added local confirmed case in 14 days straight in Yingqian Village. Pursuant to requirements of the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council, Shanghai Municipality Prevention and Control Command Center decided upon deliberation that Yingqian Village would be degraded to a low-risk region starting from 12:00 a.m. on November 24, 2020.
Following the overall strategy of preventing inbound cases and domestic resurgence of COVID-19, Shanghai will deploy tight checks at critical points such as the entrances to the city, residential areas and hotels, sites with transient populations, work positions, school gates, and the sentries for inspection and implement routine, science-based and targeted control of COVID-19. In the meantime, Shanghai will strengthen the response to the major infectious diseases in autumn and winter seasons by putting in place the requirements of “reinforcing monitoring and alarming, intensifying the immunity of priority population groups, promoting joint prevention of multiple diseases, standardizing response to infectious diseases, carrying out medical treatment and extensive publicity and mobilization.”
Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control & Prevention: Shanghai had one confirmed COVID-19 case surnamed Wang on November 9, 2020. In total, there were 28 close contacts, 190 contacts of the 28 close contacts, 51 general contacts screened and managed. We checked and screened 9,617 personnel related to abovementioned groups. All of them were confirmed negative with nucleic acid test for COVID-19. The tests on all 1,428 environment samples collected from working and residential places were also negative.
According to the feedback from disease control and prevention authority in Anhui, a case surnamed Lan, who was related to Wang, was confirmed a COVID-19 case in Anhui on November 10, 2020. The nucleic acid testing result of all Lan’s contacts was negative.
These two cases had not had any contact with the confirmed case, suspected case, discharged confirmed case, asymptomatic carrier, or case with fever, 14 days before their symptoms emerged. Nor had they had any contact with anyone entering China, flight crew member, or people from high-risk or medium-risk regions. Therefore, we can rule out the possibility of people-to-people transmission of the two.
Moreover, these two cases had not been exposed to any imported cold-chain foods or any involved environment 14 days before symptoms emerged, we can also rule out the possibility of contacting the virus after their contacts with any cold-chain foods.
However, both of them entered and cleaned an aviation container that returned from North America to Shanghai without wearing face masks on October 30, 2020. It was a closed container with large amount of shock-absorbing form and humid internal environment. If we regarded October 30 as the date of their exposure to the virus, the date when their symptoms displayed was in line with the virus’ incubation period. After genetic sequencing, the genes of the two cases were found to be highly homologous and similar to the North American virus strain, indicating that the infection source was likely imported.
In accordance with epidemiological investigation and genetic sequencing, leading experts of China and Shanghai concluded upon comprehensive analysis and studies that the source of infection may be the imported aviation container that both cases were exposed to.