No Foreigners Among Beijing's 31 Imported Cases So Far

Original Michael Wester theBeijinger

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Of the 31 reported cases of COVID-19 that have come in from overseas so far, all have been Chinese citizens and 27 were determined to be symptomatic on the plane, Beijing CDC deputy director Pang Xinghuo said at this afternoon's press conference on epidemic control.

Pang gave the details as part of a statistical snapshot on imported cases of the disease, which at this point is now the main route of new infections in the capital, as well as other parts of China outside of Hubei.

Pang said that to date, 26 of the 31, or 84 percent, came from the following five routes:

Aeroflot SU204 from Moscow
Etihad Airways EY888 from Abu Dhabi
Emirates EK306 from Dubai
Air China CA938 from London
Air China CA846 from Barcelona

A closer look showed that 21 came from two routes only: Abu Dhabi (14) and Moscow (7).

The 31 confirmed passengers are from Zhejiang (13 cases); Beijing, Gansu, Hubei, Liaoning, Ningxia Shandong, and Sichuan, (two each); Hebei, Fujian, Xinjiang, and Yunnan (one each).

They came to Beijing from six countries: Italy (17), Spain (six), Iran (three), US (two), UK (two), and Thailand (one).

Twelve are male and 19 female, aged six to 55 years old, with an average age of 28.

In terms of occupation, there have been 17 students, six white-collar workers, five service industry professionals, and three were unemployed. Two have already been released from care while the remaining 29 remain under medical care at Beijing hospitals.

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At the conference, the routes taken by all 31 were also listed, in some cases naming the city of embarkation, while in others only naming the country:

Flights via Abu Dhabi

12 cases: Milan - Abu Dhabi - Bejing
2 cases: Spain - Abu Dhabi - Beijing

Flights via Moscow

3 cases: Milan - Moscow - Beijing
3 cases: Iran - Moscow - Beijing
1 case: Madrid - Moscow - Beijing

Other routes

3 cases: Madrid (direct)
2 cases: London (direct)
1 case: Italy - Dubai - Beijing
1 case: Italy - Germany - Beijing
1 case: US - Hong Kong - Beijing
1 case: US - Beijing
1 case: Thailand - Beijing

Pang added that of the 27 discovered to be infected upon landing in Beijing, some even admitted to having been to a local hospital with symptoms before boarding their flight.