3 new COVID cases found in Shanghai

Shanghai confirmed three new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday after authorities tested 74,800 people for possible exposure to the two cases diagnosed in Pudong airport yesterday.

Wu Jinglei, director of the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, said at a news conference Saturday morning the three new patients showed positive results after nucleic acid testing.

They were among 120 close contacts of yesterday's cases, and the results for the remaining 117 people were all negative.

Two of the newly founded cases were coworkers with case 2, working in the airport's international cargo flight zone. The other new case was a close contact of case 4. All five cases were fully vaccinated.

Their residences, Jinjiang Inn Hotel Donghaizhen branch, Qianhuiyuan No 1 Village and Zhuheyuan Northern Quarter were put on lockdown and elevated to medium-risk areas, while the risk level for the rest of Shanghai remains low.

All the first and secondary contacts of the five cases have been quarantined in designated facilities for further medical observation.

A total of 74,879 people with risk of exposure were tested and awaiting results, 74,639 of which were negative as of Saturday at 10 am.

Wang Xiaojie, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission, said the Pudong International Airport has stuck to the contagion control protocol which strictly separates domestic and international flights.

Although the operation of cargo flights has been affected by the new COVID-19 cases, passenger flights are running as usual in the airport, Wang said.