(TibetanReview.net, Aug20’22) – Medical experts from across the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are being sent to Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) to help contain a worsening outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, reported China’s official cgtn.com Aug 19. The region’s epidemic had seen a trend of quick increase over the last few days, a TAR government spokesman has said.
On Aug 17, Shigatse, one of the worst-hit cities in TAR, received more than 100 medical practitioners from Shanghai to help reinforce the city’s PCR testing capability and another team from east China’s Shandong Province, the report said. Capital Lhasa, another badly-hit city, received a total of 186 medical experts from Beijing, the report added.
On Aug 19, the PRC reported 578 (compared to 559 the day before) locally transmitted confirmed Covid-19 cases, of which 469 were in Hainan Province, 33 in Shaanxi Province, and 22 (compared to 15 the day before) in TAR, reported China’s official Xinhua news agency and shine.cn (news website run by Shanghai Daily) Aug 20, citing the National Health Commission Aug 19. Yes, TAR had the third highest number of reported symptomatic cases that day.
The reports also said that altogether 1,591 (compared to 2,119 the day before) local asymptomatic carriers were newly identified throughout the RPC on the day, including 732 in Hainan and 501 (compared to 665 the day before) in TAR. Yes, TAR had the second highest number asymptomatic cases in the PRC on that day.
Besides, Qinghai province had 40 asymptomatic cases on that day, compared to one locally confirmed case and 34 asymptomatic carriers the day before, according to shine.cn reports Aug 18 and 20, as well as a chinadaily.com.cn report Aug 20.
As of Aug 18, TAR had 375 areas designated as high-risk for Covid-19 and 208 for medium-risk, reported the official chinadaily.com.cn Aug 19.
The report said a total of 11 Covid patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery on Aug 18, while 15 asymptomatic infectors and 196 close contacts were dismissed from medical observation. Besides, a total of 33,760 close and secondary contacts had been traced and were reported to be still under centralized isolation for further medical observation.
The report cited Tenzin Lhundrub, deputy secretary of the regional people’s government and spokesman of the regional government, as saying the region’s epidemic had seen a trend of quick increase over the last few days, with quick increase in daily infected cases.
“The region’s epidemic situation is in a period of rapid increase, and the situation of prevention and control is grim, we hope everyone will continue to actively support the prevention and control work and measures,” he was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, more infections have been detected in passengers who had returned by a train from Lhasa to the Chinese provinces of Hebei, Henan, Shanxi, Shandong and Gansu. The train, Z22, had 10 stops during its over 40-hour journey.