The first local infections in over a year have been reported in the city of Wuhan in China thsi week, raising concerns of about another outbreak and forced the authorities to issue strict measures to contain the virus. Authorities have announced that the entire population of Wuhan city will now have to undergo tests for COVD-19.
This means, an estimated 11 million people will now be tested for COVID-19. The decision was taken a day after officials announced that seven migrant workers were diagnosed with local coronavirus infections. Addressing a press conference, senior official Li Tao said that Wuhan was swiftly launching comprehensive nucleic acid testing of all residents.
Restrictions Reinstated
Interestingly, not a single case of locally transmitted infection was reported in Wuhan for over a year, until August 1. As soon as news of migrants with locally transmitted infections were detected, strict restrictions were imposed. Residents have been ordered to stay home and undergo mandatory testing in some cities including Wuhan.
Strict measures are in place as dealing with the Delta variant of coronavirus has become a huge challenge. China has been following the practice of mass testing as soon as a case is reported along with aggressive contact tracing, widespread use of quarantines and targeted lockdowns.
Amidst claims of coronavirus getting leaked from a lab in Wuhan, the city had contained the outbreak by imposing strict restrictions in early 2020. However, the country has time and again refuted claims of coronavirus getting leaked from Wuhan lab, but many theories still continue to point fingers at the Chinese lab.
Latest in the list to make a similar claim is a report released by GOP Rep. Michael McCaul of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on August 2. The report stated that COVID-19 had actually leaked from the controversial Wuhan Institute of Virology as early as September 2019.
The first case of COVID-19 was reported in China in 2019 with reports claiming that the virus had emerged from a seafood market in Wuhan. However, there have been contradictory statements and findings about the exact timing and origin of coronavirus.
Currently, China has 93,193 cases of COVID-19 and has reported 4,636 deaths. 87,400 people have recovered from COVID-19. This is the official data, but a number of countries including the United States have claimed that the real figures may be much higher than the data released by the China. However, on August 2, China reported 98 cases of COVID-19 and new 90 cases were reported on August 3.
