Disease expert advises sticking with masks, hand washing

Because crowds heighten coronavirus transmission, it is not a good time to carry out mass COVID-19 vaccination in the closed-off management areas of Guangzhou, according to a local disease prevention official.

"It usually takes more than 14 days for a person to develop protective effects after being vaccinated," said Zhang Zhoubin, deputy director of the Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, during a news briefing on Friday.

In response to inquiries from people working in the locked down areas asking for vaccinations, Zhang said the most effective protections are face masks and washing hands frequently.

"We are working on possible solutions for the administration of vaccines for groups of people working on in areas that are locked down," Zhang said.

Guangzhou has lifted containment restrictions in some areas that had been under closed management. However, residents in the Fangcun area of the city's Liwan district are still not allowed to leave their communities.

Guangzhou had no new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases to report on Thursday, according to the local health commission. It was the second zero increase of locally transmitted cases on a single day in the latest coronavirus outbreak, which began on May 21.

Additionally, six more patients were discharged from the hospital on Thursday, bringing the total number of COVID-19 patients discharged to 15, according to the health commission.