RATs rolled out across GZ districts+latest GD updates

Guangzhou is officially expanding its use of rapid antigen test kits, or RATs, with a number of the city’s districts now utilizing the quick tests in specific localized communities. 

For example, in Tianhe District, rapid antigen test kits were distributed to residents of nine buildings in the Juanma Street Tama Community on Tuesday (April 12). Medical experts were on hand to guide each household on how to use the test kits. 

Meanwhile, some students currently quarantined at home in Yuexiu District received RATs from community workers on Wednesday (April 13). 

RATs are also being used in some local communities within restricted or closed-off zones in Baiyun District. Residents have been asked to carefully follow instructions and not leave their homes if a kit produces a positive result. PCR testing will follow for those that do test positive via RATs. 

The official use of rapid antigen test kits as part of continued testing efforts across the district marks a slight change in the city’s COVID-19 testing strategy. 

· GZ remains in a critical pandemic prevention and control period

Chen Bin, deputy director of Guangzhou's health commission, said yesterday that individual infection cases had been identified among non-quarantine and non-close contact groups via nucleic acid screening recently, suggesting that the risk of community transmission still exists and the prevention and control situation remains serious.

In order to ensure that the graded classification control measures can effectively play a role in blocking the spread of the virus, measures such as personnel movement and health management within controlled areas will be further refined.

· GZCDC: Current outbreak is generally controllable

Zhang Zhoubin, Party chief of the Guangzhou CDC, said that while there is some uncertainty about the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in Guangzhou, the overall situation is controllable.

Two main reasons were given; first, among the 29 new local infections found, 27 were found while at centralized isolation points or within controlled zones, accounting for 93% of new cases, and only one case was found in a precautionary zone. No infected cases were found outside lockdown, controlled, and precautionary zones.

Secondly, the transmission index for the current outbreak has dropped from its highest point of 5.7 persons to 1.7 persons.

· Guangdong COVID updates:

Over the 24-hour period prior to midnight last night, Guangdong recorded a total of 47 locally-acquired symptomatic cases, along with 21 asymptomatic cases. Of the symptomatic cases, 39 were identified in Guangzhou and eight were reported in Shenzhen. 

Written by Hazza Harding & Li Jiehuang

Posted by Zhang Xiaomeng

Producer: Michelle Luo Liting

Executive Producer: Lin Weiqing

Videos and images via: Hazza、广州日报、广东新闻广播视频号