Guangzhou COVID-19 Update for Nov 17, 2022

On the afternoon of Nov 17, Guangzhou held a COVID-19 Prevention and Control Press Conference to brief the latest epidemic situation in the city.

On November 16, Guangzhou reported 8,761 locally acquired COVID-19 cases, among which 16 were found in communities. Haizhu District reported 8,582 new infections, 92.6% of which were still detected in Fengyang, Nanzhou and Huazhou subdistricts. The district remains the epicenter and the main battlefield of the epidemic outbreak in the city. Meantime, Kuangquan Subdistrict in Yuexiu District saw a developing situation with notable cluster outbreaks.

Zhang Yi, Deputy Director General and Spokesperson of the Guangzhou Health Commission, introduced that as of November 16, a total of 6,006 confirmed cases were treated in hospitals across the city. One of the ordinary cases diagnosed in the early stage turned to severe and one to critical. 

The severe case, male, 62 years old, also suffered from severe hypertension, coronary heart disease and sequelae of cerebral infarction; 

The critically ill case, female, 82 years old, also suffered from coronary heart disease, thoracic malformation, and chronic bronchitis with prolonged bed rest required. 

After active treatment, the two patients' conditions are basically stable.

Zhang Yi said that Guangzhou is pushing forward with a two-pronged approach. On the one hand, the city vigorously promoted the construction of makeshift hospitals to receive asymptomatic infections. On the other hand, it arranged patients according to their symptoms and provided them with the synthesized treatment of both traditional Chinese and western medicine at designated hospitals. Customized treatments on a patient-by-patient basis were provided to those with severe basic diseases or high-risk pregnancies.

Zhang Zhoubin, Party Secretary of the Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention said that the Rt value in Haizhu District has dropped from 2.2 a week ago to 1.5, and has fluctuated between 1.4 and 1.5 in the last four days. "This shows that the prevention and control measures introduced in the past week are gradually taking effect in curbing the COVID-19 transmission."

Zhang Zhoubin said that the large base of infections in Haizhu District in the early stage would contribute to a large number of new infections even when the Rt value was kept at a low level. Going forward, we need to move faster with more focus and resources to stamp out the transmission in high-risk areas. We will, first of all, make sure that PCR testing is conducted more thoroughly with individual sampling and antigen testing, so as to detect transmission risks in time. Meanwhile, we will spare no effort to build up isolation resources, including the construction of makeshift hospitals and quarantine facilities, so as to facilitate the rapid transfer of infections.

Zhang Zhoubin appealed to the residents of Haizhu District, especially those in high-risk areas, to continue to practice home quarantine and get tested as required.

Zhang Yongliang, Deputy Head of Haizhu District, said that Haizhu focused on the following aspects when strengthening COVID-19 prevention and control measures.

PCR testing and screening were sped up. On November 17, 318 testing sites, totaling 1,196 sampling booths, were set up to ensure that no household or individual was left unchecked. As of 16:00, 1.61 million individual PCR tests were conducted.

Transfer and quarantine arrangements were optimized. At present, 95,300 people have been transferred, and those with special needs such as the elderly, pregnant women and children were given priority for transfer and accommodation.

Psychological guidance was provided. A special psychological counseling team has been formed, serving 1,122 people in total. 18 subdistricts in Haizhu District have launched hotlines to help people maintain psychological health, serving nearly 6,000 people in total.

Efforts were made to meet residents' essential needs. On November 17, 14 farmers' markets and 451 stalls reopened in the lockdown areas. 7,100 distribution and sorting personnel were mobilized to serve on duty, and 1.205 million packages of daily necessities have been distributed.

Wang Baosen, Deputy Director General of Guangzhou Municipal Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau, introduced that Guangzhou has planned to provide 114,392 beds in the makeshift hospitals and 132,015 beds in quarantine rooms. So far, 16 makeshift hospitals with 39,164 beds and 14 quarantine rooms with 28,235 beds have been completed and delivered.

Wang Baosen said, Guangzhou always gets well-prepared for a rainy day, and is pushing for the construction of makeshift hospitals and quarantine facilities in Baiyun, Huadu, Panyu, Huangpu, Conghua and Zengcheng districts, planning to provide 40,000 quarantine rooms with 160,000 beds.