Expert: Mass vaccination key for virus control in Ruili

Yunnan reported 15 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and five new asymptomatic cases on Sunday, the provincial health commission said on Monday.

All the confirmed and asymptomatic cases were found in the border city of Ruili during a citywide nucleic acid testing campaign, the commission said.

As of Sunday, 51 confirmed cases and 56 asymptomatic cases including the imported infections are receiving treatment or under medical observation in designated hospitals in the province.

Ruili started a mass vaccination drive for COVID-19 on Friday following a series of measures including citywide nucleic acid testing and home quarantine taken to contain the coronavirus spread during the past week.

All eligible residents in the city are expected to be inoculated by April 6, according to the city government.

The mass vaccination work conducted in Ruili, the first such vaccination for all eligible residents conducted during an ongoing epidemic in China, laid a solid foundation for the following overall epidemic control and prevention work in Ruili, Zhang Wenhong, leader of the Shanghai expert team for treating COVID-19 patients, said during an interview with Yunnan Radio and Television Station on Saturday.

Zhang said with pressure from control and prevention on imported cases still great, vaccination is an important link in the overall epidemic control and prevention.