-- Beijing has effectively controlled its recent outbreak of COVID-19 infections related to a major wholesale market as the city reported no new confirmed cases for the eighth consecutive day on Monday.
-- Thanks to timely and effective epidemiological investigations, Xinfadi was targeted as a high-risk location within 22 hours of the new outbreak.
-- Beijing deployed targeted lockdowns instead of confining everyone to their homes that risked reversing the gains made after the resumption of work.
-- More than 11 million people in Beijing, about half of the capital's population, underwent nucleic acid tests between June 11 and July 6.
by Xinhua writers Cheng Lu, Qiang Lijing, Luo Xin and Xie Hao
BEIJING, July 14 -- Beijing has effectively controlled its recent outbreak of COVID-19 infections related to a major wholesale market as the city reported no new confirmed cases for the eighth consecutive day on Monday.
From June 11 to Monday, the Chinese capital city reported 335 confirmed domestically transmitted cases, of whom 205 remain hospitalized and 130 were discharged from Beijing Ditan Hospital after recovery.
After the city saw a resurgence in locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, mostly related to the large Xinfadi farm produce market in Fengtai District, the municipal government adopted swift and targeted measures to curb the spread of the virus.
A nurse treats a COVID-19 patient at an isolation ward in Beijing Ditan Hospital in Beijing, capital of China, June 16, 2020. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)
Here is a look at how Beijing has brought the new infections under control in less than one month.
TIMELY EPIDEMIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION
Beijing reported a new confirmed locally transmitted COVID-19 case on June 11 after the city had seen 57 days with no such cases.
An epidemiological investigation was carried out immediately, which traced 38 close contacts. All places that the patient had visited and may have been potentially exposed to the virus, including Xinfadi, were identified.
On June 12, environmental samples tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Xinfadi. At the same time, more epidemiological investigations were carried out as several new confirmed cases were reported.
To control the new infections, the disease control and prevention centers at the city and district levels organized more than 500 epidemiological investigators, who can be immediately dispatched to conduct investigations if any new cases are reported.
"We usually have three people in a group, two go into the quarantine area, and the third is responsible for support and disinfection," 33-year-old epidemiological investigator Li Ruoxi said. He explained they communicated with the patient and his or her family about the patient's recent activities and contact history over the 14 days before hospitalization.
