COVID infections still the number one infectious disease in Beijing: weekly report

A total of 2,869 cases of 19 infectious diseases were reported from June 19 to 25 in Beijing with the majority of them being cases of coronavirus, authorities said on Thursday. The number of infections has seen a decline compared with the previous week, despite a significant increase in the influx of people from all over the country during the just-concluded Dragon Boat Festival. 

The top five reported diseases are, in order, coronavirus infection, other infectious diarrhea, hand, foot, and mouth disease, viral hepatitis, and syphilis, accounting for 95.6 percent of all reported cases of infectious diseases, the Beijing Municipal Health Commission said on Thursday. 

The number of cases from Jun 19 to 25 has decreased compared to the previous week, shaking off concerns that the three-day Dragon Boat Festival from June 22 to 24 would bring a lead in COVID cases due to large influx of people. 

During the festival break, 216 tourist attractions in Beijing welcomed 5.19 million visitors, recording a 2.1 percent growth over the same period in 2019, official data showed. Tourists visiting the capital generated revenue of 309.09 million yuan ($43.05 million), up 5.8 percent from the same period in 2019.

Respiratory tract infections remained the most reported disease throughout the week, the commission said, accounting for 86.3 percent of the total. 

Many people in China have contracted a second COVID infection in recent weeks, with Beijing reporting over 10,000 cases from May 1 to 7. China's top respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan estimated in May some 85 percent of the total population in China, approximately between 1.1 and 1.2 billion people, have been infected with coronavirus.

Besides COVID, the Beijing health commission reminded people to be vigilant against hand, foot, and mouth disease, a common childhood infectious disease characterized by fever, oral mucosal herpes or ulcers, and rash on the hands, feet, buttocks, and other areas. 

Good hygiene practices such as hand washing, frequent ventilation and disinfection, are effective measures in  preventing the disease.