First COVID-19 recoveries of outbreak boost confidence of health workers

Hebei province has seen its first 12 coronavirus patients discharged from the hospital on Thursday afternoon. They are the province's first recoveries in this year's outbreak amid a continued uptick in cases.

The recoveries have bolstered the confidence of all health workers, said Wu Shucai, president of Hebei Chest Hospital in Shijiazhuang, a designated COVID-19 facility. Wu added that continuous efforts will be made to help more patients recover.

Authorities in Hebei reported on Thursday another 81 local confirmed COVID-19 cases in the previous 24 hours, raising the province's caseload to 463.

Seventy-five of the new patients testing positive were in Shijiazhuang, the provincial capital, and six in the nearby city of Xingtai, the provincial health commission said.

Also on Wednesday, 195 asymptomatic carriers were placed under medical observation, it said.

A novel coronavirus patient died in Shijiazhuang on Wednesday, the first death in the latest resurgence of COVID-19 in the province, which started on Jan 2.

Yan Xixin, an epidemiologist at the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, who heads an expert panel for treating COVID-19 patients in the province, said the 68-year-old woman who died had serious existing heart conditions. The virus caused multiple organ failures, including of the kidneys and lungs, leading to her death.

The woman, from the city's Gaocheng district, had tested positive on Saturday.

Tong Zhaohui, an expert with the National Health Commission who is helping treat coronavirus patients in Shijiazhuang, told China Central Television that the average age of patients is 46.5, and the average age of patients in critical condition is in excess of 60.

The recent surge in new COVID-19 cases has prompted authorities in Hebei to postpone their annual provincial legislative meetings.

The Standing Committee of the Hebei Provincial People's Congress announced that its annual session, scheduled on Jan 25, is postponed until further notice.

Similar strain detected

Heilongjiang province had reported 97 confirmed cases and 130 asymptomatic carriers as of 5 pm on Thursday, after the first infections were detected on Sunday.

Gene sequencing shows that the virus is very similar to the strain circulating in the recent outbreak in Dalian, Liaoning province, Guo Yanru, deputy director of Suihua center for disease control and prevention, said on Thursday, adding that further epidemiological investigations are underway.

Heilongjiang has witnessed soaring infections in rural areas－much like the rising cluster of infections in Hebei villages－making such areas a new focal point of epidemic prevention and control.

Fang Qingwei, deputy director of the Heilongjiang Provincial Health Commission, said there will be an emphasis on migrants in rural regions getting nucleic acid tests, and all kinds of gatherings in rural areas, including weddings, funerals and banquets, will not be allowed in order to contain the virus' spread.

"Villagers in rural areas of Suihua are all in the slack season of winter, which gives them more spare time for indoor activities. Poor ventilation will greatly increase the risk of spreading infections," said Gao Fei, an expert with the Heilongjiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Neighboring Jilin province identified two local asymptomatic carriers on Thursday. Both had close contact with asymptomatic carriers who came back from Heilongjiang, according to the provincial health commission.

The commission's epidemiological investigation showed that another five asymptomatic carriers reported from Monday to Wednesday were all linked by travel on the No K350 train on Jan 5.