A resident in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province takes a nucleic acid testing on December 15, 2021. Zhejiang has reported 292 confirmed cases of COVID-19 starting from December 5. Photo: IC

The epidemic flare-up in East China's Zhejiang Province, which has registered 14 local confirmed cases in two days, is an independent outbreak caused by the Omicron variant, health authorities said on Thursday. Imported materials from the food company where most infections occurred were also found with the variant in multiple samples.

The latest wave of COVID-19 is mainly concentrated in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang, at a food company where most cases worked at or were related to. 

Genetic sequencing of the sample of the first case in this round showed that it belonged to an Omicron mutant strain with low homology with the ones identified in recent local or imported cases in Zhejiang. 

Multiple samples taken from unused imported materials at the food company also tested positive for the Omicron variant, and origin tracing is still underway.

Except for a few who were found as they sought medical treatment, most positive cases were identified during nucleic acid screening among close or secondary contacts of the first case that had already been put under quarantine, authorities said. 

No positive cases have been found in other parts of the province, they added.

The district where the food company is located has been identified as a medium-risk region, officials announced, and for people who have traveled to medium- or high-risk regions, they will receive a 14-day centralized quarantine and another seven days of health monitoring at home.

Global Times