COVID-19 Cases Confirmed Two Consecutive Days in Beijing, China... Raising Concerns of Resurgence

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] New cases of COVID-19 were reported in Beijing, China, for two consecutive days.

On the 12th, Beijing authorities announced at a press conference, "Two new confirmed cases have been identified. Both individuals reside in Fengtai District and work for the same company."

Beijing had not reported any COVID-19 cases since mid-April, but one case was reported on the 11th, marking 57 days without new infections.

The patients reported on this day are all employees of the China National Meat Food Comprehensive Research Center.

The confirmed patient, Mr. Ryu, is a 25-year-old male who was investigated to have been on a five-day business trip to Qingdao, Shandong Province, within the past two weeks. He visited a hospital on the 9th after experiencing symptoms such as sore throat and fever.

The other confirmed patient, Mr. Lee, a 37-year-old male, reportedly had not left Beijing or had contact with anyone from Wuhan, Hubei Province, in the past two weeks. He stated that symptoms appeared on the 9th.

Beijing authorities stated, "These two individuals are currently in isolation treatment at designated hospitals and are under epidemiological investigation. Their residential areas have been disinfected, and close contacts are under focused observation to block transmission routes."

Meanwhile, Mr. Tang, who was confirmed positive the previous day, was found to have recently visited Fengtai District.

Mr. Tang, a resident of Xicheng District, is known to live only 2.5 km in a straight line from Zhongnanhai, where President Xi Jinping and other top Chinese leaders work.

According to Beijing authorities, Mr. Tang has not recently left Beijing or met outsiders, but he visited a store in Fengtai District on the 31st of last month and purchased seafood and meat at the Xinfadi Market in Fengtai District on the 3rd of this month.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.