COVID-19 outbreak in central Chinese city related to imported case: official

A staff member scans citizens' register code for nucleic acid test at a testing site in Jinshui District of Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province, Aug. 2, 2021. (Xinhua/Li An)

BEIJING, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Recent COVID-19 cases reported in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou were highly homologous with an imported case under treatment at a local hospital, a health official said Thursday.

Genome sequencing has revealed the connection, and cluster cases were caused by infections in the hospital, Guo Yanhong, an official with the National Health Commission, said at a press conference.

Patients in the capital city of Henan Province, though also infected with the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus, were not connected to the recent resurgence in Nanjing, Guo added.

The outbreak has exposed loopholes in Zhengzhou's in-hospital infection control, and relevant individuals have been held accountable, Guo said.

Investigations are being carried out in hospitals nationwide to identify weak links and curb risks in infection control, and prevent similar situations from occurring again, Guo said.