China says it recorded no new locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 on Monday for the first time since July, amid its strident efforts to test millions of residents and isolate those infected.
The development comes after more than 1,200 residents in Nanjing were recently infected in an outbreak driven by the Delta variant, which was brought in from abroad and detected in late July.
The country hasn’t recorded any deaths as part of the outbreak, which led to lockdowns in parts of the city as well as Beijing, Wuhan and Jingmen in central Hubei province.
Local officials in regions across China experiencing outbreaks have been implementing mass testing in order to identify and isolate carriers. The regions include Wuhan, the original epicenter of the pandemic, which has performed tests on its 12 million residents.
According to local Chinese officials, there have been no new locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 since August 23, 2021. Zhang Yanlin/VCG via Getty Images
Chinese officials have implemented mass testing in areas that were massively affected but the COVID-19 virus. Feature China/Barcroft Media via Getty Images
Several cities including the original virus epicenter, Wuhan, have reported zero deaths for the first time since July. Feature China/Barcroft Media via Getty Images
The new development was put in place after 1,200 residents in Nanjing were infected with the Delta variant in July. Zhang Yanlin/VCG via Getty Images
Local officials report that they have performed COVID-19 tests on over 12 million residents. Sha Xiaofeng/VCG via Getty Images“Although China’s current [COVID containment] policy is characterized by a high degree of disruption as well as cost, a suite of effective measures has been established which I don’t think will be abandoned easily,” said Chen Zhengming, professor of epidemiology at the University of Oxford in England, to Reuters.
“Inspections at customs, quarantine, the mobilization of communities, mass testing, etc, one round, two rounds, and then three rounds — China has grown accustomed to them,” the expert said of the measures.
With Post wires
