Sanya: Sanya, a coastal city on the southern tip of Hainan island and a popular tourist destination, reported 48 new confirmed locally transmitted cases of COVID-19, increasing the total number of confirmed cases to 72 in the current outbreak that was first detected on Monday, according to the city’s epidemic prevention and control authority.
Among the newly confirmed cases in the city, one was initially an asymptomatic carrier whose status has changed.
The other new cases were found in centralized isolation locations, high-risk areas, screenings of residential communities and key personnel under closed-loop management.
The virus was sequenced and found to be the Omicron BA.5.1.3 variant, the first time this particular variant has been detected on the Chinese mainland, local officials said at a news conference in Sanya on Thursday afternoon.
They said that based on comprehensive analysis, experts believe the origin of the virus was contaminated imports of seafood at the Yazhou fishing port. It was most likely transmitted through transactions between Hainan traders and those overseas.
Local officials said Sanya has set up a special work team to conduct investigations, especially among fishermen and seafood traders, as one of the confirmed cases is a seafood vendor.
Sanya has imposed lockdown measures starting on Thursday in most parts of the city, in a move to curb fresh COVID-19 clusters.
–The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchage item
