Jilin province wrestles with complex COVID challenge

Jilin province is still facing a complex challenges in curtailing the recent outbreak of COVID-19, including infection clusters, officials said on Friday.

"More than 98 percent of infected people were found in the cities of Changchun and Jilin," Zhang Li, deputy director of the provincial Health Commission, told a news conference on Friday. "Infection clusters have occurred in schools, rural areas and social units, which greatly increases the risk of the coronavirus spreading in some regions."

Jilin province reported 1,834 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and 792 asymptomatic carriers on Thursday, the commission said on Friday. Of the confirmed cases, 595 were found in Changchun, 1,210 in Jilin city, 26 in Siping, two in Yanbian Korean autonomous prefecture and one in Songyuan.

Of the asymptomatic carriers, 774 were identified in Jilin city, seven in Yanbian and 11 in Siping.

"There are 8,775 confirmed cases with mild symptoms and 4,109 asymptomatic carriers across the province," Zhang said, adding that they will be sent to makeshift hospitals.

"The province now has 10,494 beds available in all makeshift hospitals and another 2,166 beds are being prepared in the cities of Changchun and Jilin," he said.

For every 100 patients, there will be five doctors and 20 nurses, he added.

To ensure the basic livelihoods of people in need, local civil affairs departments have adopted various aid policies.

"Jilin city has allocated funds for basic living for March, such as subsistence allowances and subsidies for people in extreme poverty," said Yang Chunting, deputy director of the provincial Civil Affairs Department. "A total of 2.64 million yuan has been distributed to 40,005 residents in Jilin city."

Since the beginning of the recent outbreak, the province has provided 1.45 million yuan of temporary aid to nearly 1,000 people in need, he said.