TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China on Sunday (Sept. 12) reported that a new cluster infection involving the Delta variant of COVID-19 has swollen to 64 cases in Fujian Province.
Local Chinese health authorities on Sunday announced that a total of 64 cases tied to a Delta cluster infection were detected in Fujian's Putian City. This includes 32 symptomatic and 32 asymptomatic cases, the latter of which China does not include in its official case count.
Of these cases, Putian health authorities have identified 841 close contacts and 1,690 secondary contacts, while 1,293 people have been sent to undergo medical observation. Nucleic acid tests will be administered on residents of 24 villages in Xianyou County's Fengting Town, as it is considered a high-risk area for infection.
Residents of Putian line up to be tested for COVID-19. (CNA photo)
The government has imposed traffic restrictions and banned indoor gatherings in certain areas of Putian City. Residents within Putian have been ordered not to leave the city and schools have suspended face-to-face classes as of Monday (Sept. 13).
On Saturday (Sept. 11), Putian officials stated that the first two cases of the outbreak involved two elementary school students in Xianyou County. The initial result of the examination of 19 samples has shown to be from the Delta variant of the virus.
The final results of genomic sequencing on these samples will be completed within two to three days. Based on a preliminary epidemiological investigation, experts suspect that the outbreak may have started with a case that had recently returned to Putian from Singapore.