A highly hidden infection of the Delta variant that was only discovered after the eighth nucleic acid testing shows the variant’s characteristics of high infectivity, high concealment and untypical initial symptoms, demands multiple rounds of nucleic acid testing to stop virus transmission in no time, a government official concluded after disclosing the details of the case confirmed in Zhengzhou, Central China’s Henan Province on Saturday.
Zhengzhou reported two confirmed local cases on Saturday including the one who tested negative in seven nucleic acid testing and only tested positive on the eighth time.
The patient is a doctor from The Sixth People’s Hospital of Zhengzhou which has been under centralized closed management since July 31 after clustered hospital-acquired infection broke out at the designated hospital for COVID-19 patients, according to Li Huifang, deputy secretary general of the People’s Government of Zhengzhou city.
The patient tested positive on August 6 and was confirmed as a local infection on August 7.
“This case fully demonstrated that the Delta variant is highly infectious, hard to detect and has untypical initial symptoms, which puts forward higher requirements on our testing, detection and reporting of the virus,” said Li during a press briefing on Saturday evening.
She added that it is necessary to conduct multiple rounds of nucleic acid testing to realize periodic clearing of infected persons as soon as possible and to stop virus transmission in no time.
However, a Beijing-based immunologist told the Global Times on Sunday that although multiple rounds of testing sometimes are necessary to make up for the loopholes when the results are not so accurate, multiple testing should be targeted at those who have symptoms or those from key regions.
The immunologist noted that repeated large-scale screening testing should be avoided and authorities should urge related institutes to raise accuracy of nucleic acid testing.
Apart from the two confirmed cases, the city reported another 20 confirmed infections transformed from asymptomatic infected carriers, and three new asymptomatic infections on Saturday. All these cases have been placed under quarantine for treatment.
Since the first COVID-19 infection of this outbreak was reported on July 30, Zhengzhou has organized two rounds of city-wide nucleic acid testing between July 31 and August 6. The second-round testing was concluded as of 5 pm on Saturday, with 10.83 million people being tested.
A third-round testing was launched in Zhengzhou on Sunday morning starting with the medium- and high-risk areas.
Photo: VCG
