How Shenzhen, China avoided widespread community transmission: a potential model for successful prevention and control of COVID-19

Shenzhen is a city of 22 million people in south China that serves as a financial and trade center for East Asia.The city has extensive ties to Hubei Province,the first reported epicenter of the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)outbreak in the world.Initial predictions suggested Shenzhen would experience a high number of COVID-19 cases.These predictions have not materialized.As of 31 March 2020 Shenzhen had only 451 confirmed cases of COVID-19.Contact tracing has shown that no cases were the result of community transmission within the city.While Shenzhen did not implement a citywide lockdown like Wuhan,it did put into place a rapid response system first developed after the severe acute respiratory syndrome(SARS)epidemic in 2003.In the wake of the 2003 SARS outbreak,Shenzhen health authority created a network for surveillance and responding to novel respiratory infections,including pneumonia of unknown causes(PUC).The network rapidly detected mass discussion about PUC and immediately deployed emergency preparedness,quarantine for close contacts of PUC.Five early actions(early detection,early reporting,early diagnosis,early isolation,and early treatment)and four centralized responses(centralized coordination by experts,centralized allocation of resources,centralized placement of patients,and centralized provision of treatment)ensured effective prevention and control.Tripartite working teams comprising community cadres,medical personnel and police were formulated to conduct contact tracing at each neighborhood and residential community.Incorporation of mobile technology,big data,and artificial intelligence into COVID-19 response increased accessibility to health services,reduced misinformation and minimized the impact of fake news.Shenzhen’s unique experience in successfully controlling the COVID-19 outbreak may be a useful model for countries and regions currently experiencing rapid spread of the virus.

Four COVID-19 Cases of New Variant B.1.351 First Emerging in South Africa in Chinese Passengers on Same Flight-Shenzhen,China,January 2021

At 04∶50 on January 1,2021,a 36-year-old Chinese project manager(Case A),a 29-year-old Chinese worker(Case B),and a 53-year-old Chinese businessman(Case C)returned from Africa(Case A and B from South Africa and Case C from Lesotho)on the same flight and tested coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)RNA positive by real-time polymerase chain reaction(PCR)by Baoan District People’s Hospital.Shenzhen CDC received their oral nasopharyngeal swabs packages from the hospital and retested COVID-19 RNA positive at 09∶50.Meanwhile,Case D.

Whole-Genome Sequences Analysis Displays Relationship of SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant Between Four Local Cases and Passengers of a Flight from South Africa—Shenzhen City,Guangdong Province,China,June 2021

On June 14,2021,a customs officer(Case A)went to the infirmary at Baoan International Airport in Shenzhen due to a runny nose and fever.He was admitted to the Central Hospital of Baoan immediately.This patient preliminarily tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)infection,caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2),using a quantitative realtime reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR)method in this hospital.Then,a mixed specimen of nasopharyngeal swab.

SARS-CoV-2 Aerosol Transmission Through Vertical Sanitary Drains in High-Rise Buildings--Shenzhen,Guangdong Province,China,March 2022

Summary What is already known about this topic?Aerosol transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)via sanitary pipelines in high-rise buildings is possible,however,there is a lack of experimental evidence.

Genome Characterization of COVID-19 Lineage B.1.1.7 Detected in the First Six Patients of a Cluster Outbreak——Shenzhen City,Guangdong Province,China,May 2021

Screening for coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)virus,also known as SARS-CoV-2,infection every seven days was performed for high-risk populations who worked at the Yantian Port in Yantian District,Shenzhen City,Guangdong Province.On May 20,2021,an oropharyngeal swab from a 44-year-old male(Case A)tested preliminarily positive for COVID-19 by a quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR)method in a third-party laboratory.

The First Reported Case of COVID-19 and Plasmodium ovale Malaria Coinfection—Guangdong Province,China,January 2021

The current coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic has posed an unprecedented challenge to global health(1–3).The clinical symptoms of COVID-19 are similar to those of malaria,such as fever,myalgia,fatigue,headache,and gastrointestinal symptoms.Due to the heavy burden of medical services and the possible shortage of resources caused by the long-term COVID-19 pandemic,the risk of coinfection of malaria and COVID-19 is a matter of particular concern.Here we reported the first case of COVID-19 coinfection with Plasmodium ovale(P.ovale)malaria in a 47-year-old man who had been previously diagnosed with Plasmodium infection and incompletely treated with antimalarial drugs.