China Declares End of COVID... New Cases Continue to Emerge from Qingdao (Comprehensive)

One Month After Xi Jinping's Declaration of Victory in the COVID-19 People's War
One Local Infection in Qingdao
Taiwanese Confirmed Positive After Returning from China Visit

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Chinese health authorities are perplexed as new COVID-19 cases have emerged in Qingdao through local transmission, and a Taiwanese visitor who had been to China was also confirmed positive, despite China officially declaring the end of COVID-19 last month. With the government's declaration leading to lax prevention measures and a large-scale population movement during the recent National Day holiday, there are concerns that the spread could intensify going forward.

According to local media including the state-run Global Times on the 15th, the National Health Commission of China announced that 11 new COVID-19 cases were reported in one day, among which one local transmission case was identified in Qingdao, Shandong Province. The infected individual is a 40-year-old man working in cargo handling at Qingdao Port, who was classified as an asymptomatic carrier on the 24th of last month and was confirmed positive the day before. This case is linked to the Xionger Hospital, known as the epicenter of the Qingdao cluster infection, and is another related case. The Shandong Provincial Health Commission explained that this was a transition from an asymptomatic infection.

With confirmed cases in Qingdao for three consecutive days following the 12th and 13th, Chinese health authorities are on high alert. Previously, on the 12th and 13th, 12 people were confirmed to be part of a cluster infection within the Qingdao Thoracic Surgery Hospital. This was the first official announcement of new confirmed cases by the Chinese government in 56 days. Consequently, the Chinese government has initiated mass COVID-19 testing for all 10 million residents of Qingdao. Particularly, the case confirmed on the 14th was identified as a local transmission outside the hospital cluster, raising concerns that the spread may restart.

On the same day, a Taiwanese individual who had visited China was also confirmed positive for COVID-19. According to Taiwanese local media including the Central News Agency, Taiwan's health authorities announced that a Taiwanese businessperson returning from Jiangsu Province, China, tested positive for COVID-19. Taiwan authorities reportedly notified the Chinese Center for Disease Control about this case.

With the cluster infection in Qingdao and the confirmed infection of a Taiwanese visitor who had been to China, Chinese health authorities are highly tense. This is interpreted as concerns that criticism may arise over the government's premature declaration of the end of the pandemic. Previously, Chinese President Xi Jinping officially declared the end of COVID-19 in China on the 8th of last month, proclaiming victory in the "People's War against COVID-19."

Following the government's declaration of the end of COVID-19, prevention guidelines have become lax, and with a significant increase in population movement during the National Day holiday from late last month to early this month, there are worries that the spread may resume. According to the People's Daily, the number of tourists visiting Qingdao from other regions during the National Day holiday reached 4.47 million.

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