Kashgar detects 137 asymptomatic COVID-19 cases

A total of 138 asymptomatic cases of the novel coronavirus were reported in Kashgar Prefecture in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, according to the local health authority.

A 17-year-old girl was found on Saturday to have the virus but no symptoms of the pandemic disease in a village in Kashgar after being tested during a regular inspection, the Xinjiang health commission said.

Another 137 asymptomatic cases were reported as of 2pm Sunday.

All 137 asymptomatic cases were connected to a factory where the first asymptomatic patient’s parents worked.

A Level-I emergency response has been activated due to the new coronavirus cases. The patient has been placed under quarantine at a designated hospital.

All close contacts of the infected persons have been isolated for medical observation and nucleic acid testing, Xinjiang officials said. The local epidemic prevention and control headquarters has started an epidemiological investigation into the case.

Kashgar has launched a nucleic acid test covering the prefecture’s 4.7 million people. By Sunday afternoon, more than 2.8 million people had been sampled and the rest would be covered within two days, the city government said.

The Kashgar government said all schools except universities will be closed through Friday but supermarkets and shopping malls will remain open to ensure sufficient supply of living materials. No traffic restrictions have been imposed. Visitors to Kashgar only need to wear masks, take body temperature and show health codes. Tourists can leave as long as they have a valid negative nucleic acid test report within seven days.

China’s national health commission dispatched experts on Sunday to guide coronavirus control work in Kashgar.

The discovery marks Chinese mainland’s first local infection since October 14, when one was detected in the eastern port city of Qingdao. Xinjiang was the site of a local cluster in August, but no new cases had been found in the region since August 15.

On Saturday, the national health commission reported 15 imported coronavirus cases in the mainland, down from 28 cases the previous day. It reported a total of 19 new asymptomatic patients in the country, down from 27 a day earlier.