The first case of coronavirus has been recorded in Wuhan, China, in 2019. Since then, China has been one of the countries that managed to keep outbreaks under control by imposing severe measures such as quarantines, mass testing and travel restrictions. This week, the country with a population of 1.398 billion recorded 80 cases of locally transmitted coronavirus.
Chinese authorities seek to control the pandemic
Out of the new 80 cases of locally transmitted SARS-CoV-2 virus, 58 of them were discovered in the province of Jiangsu, in the city of Yangzhou. In this region and in other six provinces, the Delta strain has been identified. The WHO categorized the Delta strain as a variant of concern. The variant is described as highly contagious, and it can trigger more severe symptoms.
New restrictions for the city of Nanjing
Nanjing is the capital of the Jiangsu province, and recently, there have been cases of airport workers infected with the Delta variant. The Chinese authorities decided to impose drastic measures such as travel restrictions, lockdown and sealing the city of Zhangjiajie. Zhangjiajie has around 1.5 million residents, and it is one of the many Chinese cities placed under lockdown. All these measures prove successful, but many wonder if the society and economy can cope much longer with these drastic restrictions.
China has administered over 1.6 billion doses
There are several Covid-19 vaccines available, and some of them are domestic companies, such as Sinopharm and Sinovac. The Sinovac vaccine has also been used in many Latin American countries such as Chile. However, more studies are necessary to determine the efficacy of the Sinovac Vaccine. The good news is that China announced that more than 1.6 billion doses were administered. The Beijing Government is trying hard to make sure that all outbreaks are under control and that all the population will be vaccinated.