Medical staff guide residents at a nucleic acid testing site in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Oct. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)
Authorities in the city of Qingdao decided to downgrade the Loushanhou Community, where clusters of COVID-19 infections were discovered between late September and mid-October, from a medium-risk region to low-risk for COVID-19 on Monday.
The community has seen no new confirmed locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases for 14 consecutive days, which meets the criteria to lower its response level, according to the headquarters in charge of epidemic prevention under the Qingdao municipal committee of the Communist Party of China.
Earlier investigation showed inappropriate disinfection in the CT room at the Qingdao Chest Hospital led to the new cluster of infections after two stevedores who had handled imported frozen seafood were diagnosed as asymptomatic COVID-19 cases on Sept. 24. They were isolated at the Qingdao Chest Hospital and underwent CT scans in the hospital's CT room.
The city, in east China's Shandong Province, soon designated the Loushanhou Community, where the Qingdao Chest Hospital is located, as a medium-risk area after the discovery of new infections.
Qingdao also conducted a citywide nucleic acid testing campaign covering all 11 million residents within five days to best contain the spread of the virus.
A total of 13 confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported in this new wave of infections, three of which have been discharged from the hospital after recovery.
