Advertisement
China coronavirus: medical teams sent to fight outbreak in Xinjiang’s capital Urumqi
- Authorities say aggressive testing will be introduced to fight outbreak as 11 new cases were reported on Saturday
- City of 3.5 million people has been in lockdown since Thursday night after first case in 150 days was reported
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
China has sent a team of medical experts to Urumqi as local authorities said that they would adopt aggressive testing to contain the latest outbreak after a spike in coronavirus infections.
Advertisement
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Urumqi, capital of the western region of Xinjiang, rose sharply on Friday, taking the total reported since Thursday to 17, according to local health authorities.
A total of 11 new cases were reported between Friday and Saturday noon, according to the regional government’s official news portal. A total of 269 people are under medical observation.
There have also been 23 asymptomatic cases recorded since the start of the latest outbreak, but these are not included in the list of confirmed cases in defiance of World Health Organisation guidelines suggesting they should be.
Feng Zijian, the deputy director of China’s Centre for Disease Control said the team, headed by officials from the National Health Commission, arrived in Xinjiang on Saturday to assess the situation, according to China Newsweek magazine.
Advertisement
Advertisement