Guixi residential area medium-risk for COVID-19
The Guixi residential area in Huangpu District has been listed as a COVID-19 medium-risk area after a resident was diagnosed, Wu Jinglei, director of the Shanghai Health Commission, said on Sunday.
Medical personnel at the Guixi residential area.
People living in the area on Xiamen Road near the Suzhou Creek cannot leave the city unless they have negative results within seven days.
The 12 local patients, confirmed since Thursday in total, have been transferred to the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center for quarantine and treatment, Wu said.
Three are aged over 70 years old, including two aged 84. All cases were diagnosed at an early stage. Although some of them are suffering from fever and coughs and have other diseases, such as diabetes and obesity, their health conditions are steady, Wu said.
As of Saturday midnight, 218 close contacts have had nucleic acid tests, with seven testing positive and confirmed as COVID-19 patients. And more than 32,800 related people have been tested, with two being diagnosed with coronavirus.
Thirty-five of more than 3,000 samples, collected from the patients’ home and workplace, are positive.
A bird-view of the residential area.
"All team members of epidemiological investigation are racing against time," said Dr Wu Fan, deputy director of Fudan University’s medical college and a leading expert from Shanghai's COVID-19 medical team.
On Friday night, the team worked for 15 hours to find places where the confirmed patients have visited, take samples and make plans for the next step, Wu said.
“Though some medical workers may disturb you at midnight if you are related to the confirmed case, we hope all residents can cooperate with our staff members in their investigations,” she said.
She added that according to the investigation, many became infected because they didn't wear masks in public places.
"People also need to wash hands with soap for over 20 seconds after they go home," she said.
Wu added: “So far, the epidemic in the city is under control. People can still enjoy the Spring Festival next month."
