A resident receives nucleic acid test at a testing site in Heihe, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Oct. 31, 2021.Photo:Xinhua

New local infections of COVID-19 in the China's border city Heihe in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province have remained high over the past few days and hit a record high of 44 cases on Wednesday in the latest flare-up caused by imported virus, the provincial health authority announced on Thursday. 

According to the Health Commission of Heilongjiang Province, Heilongjiang reported 45 new local cases on Wednesday with 44 cases in Aihui district in Heihe and one in Pingfang district in the capital city of Harbin, which brought the accumulated number of confirmed domestically transmitted cases in the province to 189, including 184 in Heihe. 

Heihe reported 26, 18, 25, 26 and 35 new cases in the last five days between October 29 and November 2, and a record high of 44 on Wednesday. 

All new cases confirmed on Wednesday were detected during their centralized quarantine or home observation periods and have been transferred to designated hospitals for treatment. 

A total of 19 communities or villages in Aihui district have been adjusted to medium-risk areas, and one community has been escalated to high-risk, one of the three high-risk areas across China at present, after the comprehensive evaluation of the expert group. 

The flare-up in Heihe has developed swiftly since the first case was reported on October 27 and community transmission has occurred locally, the health authority noted, pointing out that the flare-up caused by a new imported virus has nothing to do with the recent local epidemics in other provinces such as North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Northwest China's Gansu Province, according to the current epidemiological investigations and virus sequencing results. 

A headquarters meeting of the provincial leading group for the response of COVID-19 pointed out that the current round of epidemic in Heilongjiang is characterized with multi-point and multi-chain transmissions, which increased the risk of the transmission of the virus and infections as the winter approaches. The headquarters for epidemic prevention and control in Heihe has thus decided to close all business venues and "distribute" daily necessities to urban residents to ensure adequate supply. 

All villages in Aihui district entered emergency status after infections were reported in the district and all villages have been locked down except for one entrance checkpoint for each village. 

Global Times