Via Global Times: Strain in Beijing COVID-19 outbreak not like the type circulating in China: CDC chief epidemiologist. It's notable that a rapid surveillance of Xinfadi market turned up 40 positive environmental samples--not just a lone chopping board. Excerpt:
Beijing is going through an important test in its fight against COVID-19, and if it is not handled well, will cause a second wave of the outbreak, according to the chief epidemiologist of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Like the rest of the country, most of the population in Beijing is susceptible to COVID-19. Fortunately, Beijing found it early and moved fast," Zeng Guang, the CDC epidemiologist, told Chinese media on Saturday, warning that the Beijing regional outbreak could bring a second wave.
This test that Beijing is going through is the biggest one after the whole country experienced a calm period, Zeng noted.
Zeng revealed that preliminary results from viral gene sequencing show that the virus strain in Beijing this time does not resemble the type widely circulating in the country.
Two samples have already been tested, and more tests are needed to determine where the epidemic is headed, he noted.
Chen Xi, an associate professor of public health at Yale University, also suggested making a comparison of types of viral gene sequencing from different countries, to determine whether the virus detected in Beijing is from the origin nations of salmon.
The novel coronavirus was detected on a chopping board used by a seller of imported salmon at Xinfadi market. China imports about 80,000 tons of chilled and frozen salmon each year, mainly from Chile, Norway, Faroe Islands, Australia and Canada, according to news site Jiemian.com.
A preliminary investigation showed those confirmed cases may have been in contact with the contaminated environment at the Xinfadi Market or had contact with people who were affected, Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of Beijing municipal center for disease prevention and control, said at a press conference on Saturday.
She said the possibility of more COVID-19 infections cannot be ruled out.
