Shanghai reports 12 new COVID-19 cases

Shanghai reported four new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and eight asymptomatic cases on Monday.

According to the municipal health authority, all tests for people who have come into contact with these 12 individuals have so far returned negative. Tests are still ongoing.

Wu Jinglei, director of the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, told a news conference that all 12 people are close contacts of cases that are part of the latest outbreaks in Putuo and Xuhui districts.

A total of 451 close contacts and 646 secondary close contacts have been placed in quarantine, and 157,449 people with potential exposure were identified in the epidemiological investigation, he said.

The outbreak in Xuhui district is related to Huating Hotel, a quarantine hotel on North Caoxi Road, which was categorized as a medium-risk area on Sunday.

Yuan Zhengan, a member of the expert committee of the municipal leaders team for epidemic prevention and control, said that gene sequencing of the virus found in Putuo district has shown that it is of the Omicron variant.

The expert committee has concluded that the outbreak in Putuo district is likely linked to imported cases from other regions in the country, Yuan said.