Photo:VCG

Zhengzhou in Central China's Henan Province reported 11 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 16 asymptomatic infections as of 6pm on Sat, another city with rising cases after Nanjing.

The city reported its first asymptomatic infection on Friday.

Wang Songqiang, head of Zhengzhou's center for disease control and prevention said most of the infected are in the Sixth People's Hospital in the city, involving cleaning staff, medical staff, and inpatients, which exposes the hospital's loopholes.

The hospital is a designated facility for asymptomatic infections arriving from abroad.

Wang said that compared with domestic outbreaks surging in cities like Nanjing, Zhangjiajie and Chengdu, the epidemic in Zhengzhou is spreading very fast, with a high viral load and may take a longer time to return negative.

Zhengzhou is facing big challenges, as the city just suffered from floods, leading to 51 deaths as of July 23 and at least 99 deaths as of Thursday across the whole of Henan Province. 

Zhengzhou now has one high-risk area, and three areas of middle-risk, and conducts nucleic acid testing on all residents. 

Director of local health commission in Zhengzhou was dismissed on Saturday after the city reported one positive asymptomatic coronavirus case and more suspected infectious cases on Friday.

Lou Yangsheng, secretary of the Henan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, on Saturday urged strict measures to curb the further spread of the virus.

Lou required a comprehensive and thorough investigation to probe the source and trajectory of the virus transmission as soon as possible. People will not be allowed to leave Henan Province unless necessary.

International flights into Henan should be strictly inspected via "close-loop" management, and cold chain logistics and international mail into Henan should abide by concentrated warehouse management, as well as strict import and export testing. 

Lou asked for the cancellation mass gatherings, the speeding up of COVID-19 vaccination across Zhengzhou, and the release of epidemic information to the whole community in a timely, open and transparent manner.

Global Times