Guangzhou reports more local cases

Local COVID-19 infections continued to rise in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, with 27 new confirmed cases and 46 asymptomatic carriers reported in the city on Tuesday, according to the local health commission.

"The risk of continued infection of this round of COVID-19 pandemic is still high, as infected people have a wide range of social activities in urban villages, restaurants, factories, entertainment venues and other densely populated places," said Zhang Yi, deputy director of the Guangzhou Health Commission.

Between 8 am on Tuesday and Wednesday at noon, 30 new infections including locally confirmed cases and asymptomatic carriers were reported in the city's Haizhu district, the hardest-hit area.

Most infections are associated with the transmission chain which began in a restaurant in Guitian, an urban village in Haizhu, and there are also individual transmission relationships to be investigated.

In the city's Baiyun district, 17 new infections were also reported between 8 am on Tuesday and Wednesday at noon, all of which were detected in quarantine and high-risk areas.

"We are in a critical period in the prevention and control against the pandemic, with sporadic cases also being reported in districts of Yuexiu and Tianhe," Zhang said.

To better control and prevent the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities in Haizhu have launched five rounds of nucleic acid tests for local residents since Saturday, according to Zhuang Chengwen, deputy head of Haizhu district.

The Omicron BA.5.2 strains have showed stronger capability of transmission and a shorter incubation period, with the shortest time for transmission being only 24 hours according to Zhang Zhoubin, spokesman of the Guangzhou Center for Disease Prevention and Control.

"Strengthened prevention and control measures are required for key persons in key risk areas," he said.