New Covid-19 cases in China's Hebei fall amid new curbs

Hebei's capital, Shijiazhuang, has banned people from leaving the city in an escalation of travel curbs. PHOTO: AFP

SHANGHAI (REUTERS, BLOOMBERG) - The number of new Covid-19 cases reported in China's Hebei province surrounding Beijing fell slightly from a day earlier, as the authorities barred people in the provincial capital from leaving in order to curb the spread of the disease.

Hebei accounted for 33 of the 37 new locally transmitted Covid-19 cases reported on Thursday (Jan 7), according to a statement by the National Health Commission, down from 51 a day earlier. The total number of cases in all of mainland China fell to 53 from 63 a day earlier.

The province's capital, Shijiazhuang, which accounted for all but two of the new Hebei cases, banned people from leaving the city on Thursday in an escalation of travel curbs.

The city of 11 million has also banned gatherings and ordered vehicles and people in high-risk Covid-19 areas to remain in their districts.

Nucleic acid testing is being rolled out city-wide, and five hospitals have been emptied to treat Covid patients, the state broadcaster CCTW said, citing Deputy Mayor Meng Xianghong.

It's unclear how the virus took hold in this part of northern China, which had gone about two months without a case before this flare-up emerged.

The first infection was reported Jan 2 in a woman, 61, who visited relatives and attended wedding celebrations before being diagnosed.

Though the number of new cases remains a small fraction of what China saw early last year at the height of the outbreak, which first emerged from the central city of Wuhan in late 2019, the authorities have taken aggressive measures whenever new clusters emerge.

China's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has said the virus strain in the latest outbreak is highly similar to those seen in Europe.

Shijiazhuang is about three hours drive south of Beijing, which has also seen a flare-up in cases in recent weeks.

Shijiazhuang also accounted for 35 of the 57 new asymptomatic cases reported in the mainland.

China does not classify these patients, who have been infected by the Sars-CoV-2 virus that causes the disease but are not yet showing any Covid-19 symptoms, as confirmed cases.

The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases to date in mainland China now stands at 87,331, while the death toll remains unchanged at 4,634.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.