BEIJING: In the wake of COVID-19 being managed as a Class B infectious disease, Beijing will establish a new scientific monitoring and warning system for its epidemic control and prevention, a senior official in the capital said on Monday.
Yin Yong, the acting mayor of Beijing, said the city has passed its infection peak and will now conduct regular nucleic acid sampling in society to monitor the ways in which the coronavirus spreads.
“The impact of new variants will also be assessed,” he said during an interview with China Media Group.
The monitoring and warning system covers detection and monitoring in many areas, including residential nucleic acid and antigen tests, COVID-19 cases in medical institutions, the community infection level, the nucleic acid tests of entry personnel, COVID-19 etiology, symptoms among the student population and sewage monitoring, Li Ang, deputy head of the Beijing Health Commission, said at a news conference last week.
Through the system, the authority can assess the risks of the COVID-19 epidemic in a timely manner and take prevention and control measures accordingly, Li said.
In late December, the Beijing Health Commission said all districts in the city should conduct surveys among elderly residents with underlying diseases and perform graded health management.
–The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
