Xinjiang, Dalian discharge more COVID-19 patients

Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and Dalian, Liaoning province, both recorded their largest number of daily patients discharged from hospital on Monday, showing the effectiveness of their prevention and treatment of COVID-19 infections.

Cui Yan, director of the region's Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said 12 people who had recovered were discharged on Monday, bringing the total number of discharged to 42 since July 28.

In addition to the largest number of discharges, officials in Urumqi, the region's capital, indicated during a virus control and prevention conference on Tuesday that the treatment cycle of the recently discharged had been shortened.

According to Lu Chen－vice-president of the region's No 6 People's Hospital, a designated hospital specializing in contagious diseases－their cycles were shortened not only because medical workers had gained more treatment experience during the outbreak, but also because of the effective measures taken by the hospital.

"The measures, such as the establishment of an evaluation and consultation system for experts, integration of the best medical resources in the region and introduction of advanced medical equipment, are improving treatment efficiency," Lu said.

Epidemiological investigations of the locally transmitted COVID-19 cases in Xinjiang have been underway since the local outbreak began on July 15. During the conference on Tuesday, Cui said the recent rebound of COVID-19 cases in Xinjiang comes from the same source.

"After genetic sequencing on previously confirmed cases, we found the outbreak was caused by exposure to the same source of infection," Cui said.

Cui said as the outbreak is associated with a group gathering in Urumqi, 99.3 percent of confirmed cases were detected in the city, and the remaining cases in other places are related to the capital.

"We also found that confirmed cases have been declining after reaching their peak at the end of July, and most confirmed cases are not severe," she added.

The city reported 28 locally transmitted infections and nine asymptomatic cases on Monday, bringing the total figure of confirmed cases to 606 and asymptomatic cases to 114 since the emergence of the outbreak on July 15.

In the northeastern port city of Dalian, three asymptomatic coronavirus carriers were discharged from the hospital on Tuesday－the first group with or without symptoms released since the city identified its first new confirmed case on July 22.

Dalian confirmed two new locally transmitted cases on Monday. The city's total number of confirmed cases with symptoms climbed to 89, and asymptomatic cases under medical observation dropped to 26, including the above three cases, Zhao Lian, deputy director of the Dalian Health Commission, said at a news conference on Tuesday morning.

The city has completed the first round of its massive coronavirus testing program in both urban and rural areas, and people in high-risk areas began getting a third round of tests on Monday, Zhao said.

Tang Yi, director of Dalian's civil affairs bureau, said that as of 6 pm on Monday, 80 residential compounds had been locked down.

"The closed compounds are in good order," he said.

Tang said that relevant districts, based on actual conditions, have made plans and solutions to provide a diverse array of services to residents, especially those that need special services to ensure people's livelihoods during epidemic prevention and control.

Mao Weihua contributed to this story.