China detects more than 100 COVID-19 cases near Beijing, authorities warn people

The coronavirus cases in China on January 16 shot past the 100-mark for the first time in 10 months with 109 new infections, according to the global Worldometer tally. Reports of multiple spread emerged prompting the health commission to resort to emergency measures in the impacted areas, putting 28 million people under strict lockdown. In a statement, China's National Health Commission informed that at least 144 new COVID-19 cases were recorded on January 14, up from 103 tallied previously in the 24 hours before that. Of the total cases then, 82 were detected in Hebei province, with a significant spike in the Shijiazhuang and Xingtai cities. Heilongjiang province, with Guangxi and Shaanxi provinces each, recorded 43 new cases. 

According to sources of Anadolu Agency, with the onslaught of new cases, Beijing tightened the security around the capital, halting the traffic passage on one of the busiest highways for containment of the virus spread. Chinese authorities warned people confined at homes of detentions for flouting the COVID-related restrictions, as the city entered the lockdown. Chinese daily Global Times reported that at least two were arrested leaking epidemiological investigation information and government data of COVID-19 contacts as the communist nation hit a total of 87,536 confirmed cases of the coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, early December 2019. 

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Covid strain on beef, auto parts, ice cream

Recently, authorities in Tianjin Municipality found strains of the SARS-CoV-2 on the samples of ice cream in northern China, as it may have transmitted from the person carrying the pathogen. Rigorous contact tracing and isolating those at the ice cream outlet was commenced to mitigate further disease transmission. Earlier, China’s COVID-19 prevention and control office found coronavirus on the auto part packaging across several parts in China. This came after an employee at an auto firm contracted the virus. According to China’s state-run press Xinhua, China’s Center for disease control and prevention detected the virus on the auto tire packaging in the city of Jincheng, north China's Shanxi Province. The country had previously detected the coronavirus strain on the packaging of a batch of beef imported from Brazil. Wuhan Municipal Health Commission had confirmed at least three positive coronavirus samples detected on the outer packaging of frozen, boneless Brazilian beef.

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