China begins mass testing in Beijing as 67 new cases appear

China has begun the mass testing of hundreds of people who had visited a Beijing wholesale market which sparked a fresh bout of coronavirus cases even as the country reported 67 new COVID-19 infections including 42 in the capital.

In a bid to stem the spread of the contagion, the authorities in Beijing have conducted the nucleic acid test on 29,386 people who had visited the Xinfadi wholesale market since May 30, Gao Xiaojun, spokesman for the Beijing Health Commission, said on Monday.

The market became a hotspot after it reported several new COVID-19 cases. Out of all the samples, 12,973 came negative and the rest are awaiting results, Gao told the media.

The National Health Commission (NHC) in its daily report on Monday said that 49 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and 18 asymptomatic cases were reported on Sunday.

As of Sunday, 112 people with asymptomatic symptoms were still under quarantine. Asymptomatic cases, also known as silent spreaders, are the patients who have tested COVID-19 positive but develop no symptoms such as fever, cough or sore throat. However, they pose a risk of spreading the disease to others.

The Beijing Municipal Health Commission on Monday said that the city reported 36 new confirmed domestically-transmitted COVID-19 cases and six new asymptomatic cases. The official media on Sunday said that eight people tested positive in the capital.

By Sunday, Beijing has reported 499 confirmed domestically-transmitted COVID-19 cases since January, including 411 who have been discharged from hospitals after recovery and nine deaths, the commission said.

There were still 79 patients receiving medical treatment and seven asymptomatic cases under medical observation, the state run-Xinhua news agency reported. So far, 174 imported COVID-19 cases have been reported in the capital, with one still hospitalised.

The NHC said that three cases were reported in Hebei province on Sunday. It said that 3,852 close contacts were still under medical observation after 392 people were discharged from medical observation on Sunday.

As of Sunday, the overall confirmed cases in China reached 83,181, including 177 active cases, with two in severe condition.

Altogether 78,370 people have been discharged after recovery and 4,634 people died of the disease, the NHC said.

-PTI