Guangzhou reports 8,181 new COVID-19 cases

On the afternoon of November 21, Guangzhou held a COVID-19 Prevention and Control Press Conference to brief the latest epidemic situation in the city.

On November 20, Guangzhou reported 8,181 locally acquired COVID-19 cases, among which 20 were found in communities. Haizhu District reported 7,988 new infections, 93% of which were detected in high-risk areas in the Kangle-Lujiang Area of Fengyang Subdistrict, Datang Area of Nanzhou Subdistrict, and Longtan Area of Huazhou Subdistrict.

Zhang Yi, Deputy Director General and Spokesperson of the Guangzhou Health Commission, introduced that Baiyun District is confronted with mounting pressure as several abnormal results were detected in district-wide PCR testing on November 20, indicating high risks of community transmission.

Zengcheng District was also facing relatively high risks of community transmission with cluster outbreaks in multiple areas. Tianhe District saw an increasing number of imported infections, some of which with a complicated travel history.  

Zhang Yi introduced that five top-grade hospitals, including the Guangzhou No.8 People's Hospital, Lingnan Hospital of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Baiyun Branch of Nanfang Hospital, and Guangzhou Chest Hospital, have been designated for COVID-19 treatment.

Chen Yongjun, Deputy Head of Baiyun District said, "Last night, we held a discussion with relevant disease control experts and departments overnight and quickly formulated measures to strengthen epidemic prevention and control in communities. The core purpose is to strictly limit the flow of personnel, identify risk groups, and use a 5-day window time to break the potential transmission chain." He also admitted that the announcement issued in the early morning of November 21 has caused inconvenience to residents in the district and asked for their understanding.

Chen said that temporary traffic control has been implemented across the district, suspending metro and bus services throughout the period. In order to minimize the impact on residents' life and work, control measures will be adjusted accordingly in advance in areas without new cases for three consecutive days.

At present, Baiyun District has a sufficient supply of daily necessities with stable prices. Supermarkets and farmers' markets across the district are in operation, only with a flow restriction. Takeout and delivery services are available. "I would like to remind our residents to go shopping based on their practical needs. There is no need for panic buying. Meantime, please go out on a staggered schedule and avoid gathering", Chen said.

Chen thanked the residents for their understanding and support of the epidemic prevention and control work in Baiyun District. "The next five days are crucial for us. Let's join hands and work together to travel less and do more to protect our homes", he said.

Chong Yutian, Member of the Party Committee of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University and Professor of the Infectious Diseases Dept., said that they have sent 273 medical workers to take over the makeshift hospital in Huangpu District. As of November 20, 2,532 patients had been admitted and more than 1,300 of them had recovered and been discharged. 348 medical workers were assigned to transform the Lingnan Hospital into a designated hospital for COVID-19 patients. Among the 136 patients treated there, the oldest is 96 years old and the youngest is 8 months old.

Chong introduced that the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University has set up more than 70 online consultation rooms, with more than 700 medical workers receiving consultations on that platform. Since November, it has provided online diagnosis and treatment for more than 8,500 patients, and has given over 6,500 prescriptions to patients.

Liu Hongmei, Member of the Party Committee, Vice president and Professor of Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, introduced that since the outbreak of this round of the epidemic, the hospital has admitted a total of 1,981 COVID-19 patients and discharged 515 of them. Over 7,500 staff were dispatched to assist in PCR testing, conducting nearly 3 million tests. 258 medical workers were sent to the makeshift hospital in Pazhou, taking over 1,115 beds and treating a total of 1,478 patients, with 514 of them having been discharged. On November 14, the national major epidemic treatment base with nearly 800 medical workers was put into use for the first time, and began to treat COVID-19 patients on that day. At present, 503 COVID-19 patients have been admitted.

As the first hospital in China that provides online medical services, the number of online consultations received by Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital has increased by 50% compared with the daily average, and nearly 10,000 prescriptions have been issued.

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