Experts Call For Precautions After 36 Infected After 1 Flight!

Source: OT-Team(S,J), China Youth, 环球网

With the summer holiday coming to an end, there have been several recent outbreaks related to flights and trains. Among them, an epidemic-related flight to Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province was reported to be with "36 positive infections infected by 3 cases", and the Z22 train from Tibet to Beijing was also found with infected passengers in many places.

Flight to Wenzhou

On August 19, Wenzhou reported that, from August 12 to 16:00 on August 18, a total of 61 COVID positive infections have been detected in the epidemic related to other provinces. The virus gene sequencing showed that all were with BA.2.76 variant strains.

Zeng Shidian, the leader of the epidemic prevention and control expert team, said that in light of the epidemic situation across the country, the BA.2.76 variant strain is currently the most contagious and the fastest spreading strain.

In the transmission on flight from outside of the province to Wenzhou, 3 positive cases on the plane had infected 36 passengers, and the initial 3 positive cases were seated in the front rows of the plane, while some among the other infected persons were in the back rows and far away. In addition to the confined space in the cabin, some people were infected because they walked through the same isle, within a distance of 3-5 meters and contact time of less than 1 minute with the positive cases.

Zeng Shidian analyzed that, the spread of the virus through aerosols, the long time on the plane, the improper wearing of masks by passengers, and wearing same masks for more than 4 hours are the reasons for accelerating the spread of the virus.

In addition, from the perspective of the incidence of positive infection, it is mainly about the upper respiratory tract infection, which is easier to replicate and detoxify in large quantities. The incubation period is short, and symptoms appear in just 1-2 days, and the infectivity is stronger. "BA.2.76 is with high viral load, it can spread to one generation in less than 2 days.”

Z22 Train from Lhasa to Beijing

On August 18, the China Railway Department announced that 12 passengers were tested positive on the Z22 train from Lhasa to Beijing West on August 15.

On the afternoon of August 19, according to China News, the number of infected cases with the Z22 train had increased to 29, including 2 in Beijing, 13 in Hebei, 5 in Henan, 7 in Shanxi, 1 in Shandong, and 1 in Gansu etc.

On the morning of August 20, Pingjiang County, Yueyang, Hunan also reported an asymptomatic infection related to the Z22 train.

Some epidemic prevention and control experts have reminded that, due to the characters of the Omicron Variants, maintaining a social distance of 1 meter is not enough, people should try to keep more than 2 meters if possible.

People should also reduce inter-provincial travel and avoid going to medium and high-risk areas, and wear surgical masks (or above level) when taking plane or train. Masks should be replaced within 4 hours under the premise of ensuring safety.

According to the National Health Commission, on August 19, 578 new local confirmed cases and 1591 new asymptomatic infections were reported in China.

Hainan, Tibet and Xinjiang are still the three provinces with the most local infections.