70-Year-Old Chinese Woman from Harbin Confirmed COVID-19 Positive in Korea

Negative in nucleic acid test, positive in antibody test... 41 close contacts under intensive quarantine
China locks down parts of Kashgar, Xinjiang after 164 asymptomatic COVID-19 cases detected

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] A Chinese national who entered Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China via a flight from Korea has tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). This is the first confirmed case of a Chinese national from Korea since Weihai in August.

According to the Heilongjiang Provincial Health Commission (Weiguanwei) on the 27th, a woman in her 70s named Jin, who departed from Incheon International Airport on a Jeju Air flight and arrived in Harbin on the 21st, tested positive.

The woman tested negative on the day of entry. Later, on the 25th, she was transferred to a hospital due to a gastrointestinal illness, and during treatment, she was found to be positive. While her nucleic acid test was negative, her antibody test came back positive.

Accordingly, 41 close contacts are reported to be under focused quarantine.

Chinese health authorities announced on the 26th, after expert discussions, that the woman was finally confirmed positive, and all 41 close contacts tested negative in nucleic acid tests.

The Korean Consulate General in Shenyang stated, "Among the 41 close contacts, there are no Koreans."

Meanwhile, near-lockdown level controls have been implemented in some areas of Kashgar in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China, where a large number of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases have emerged.

The Global Times reported on the 27th that movement restrictions were imposed on four areas including Zanminxiang in Supu County, Kashgar, designated as high-risk COVID-19 zones. In these areas, after one asymptomatic case was reported on the 24th, 137 cases were reported on the 25th, and 26 cases on the 26th, totaling 164 asymptomatic infections over three days.

Wang Guangpa, head of the Department of Respiratory Critical Care Medicine at Peking University First Hospital, said, "COVID-19 patients generally show positive results two days before symptoms appear," adding, "The local response was swift, allowing tracking before symptoms manifested."

The infected individuals are mainly women aged between 20 and 55, and some have reportedly begun to show mild symptoms in hospitals.

Kashgar authorities completed sample collection for approximately 4.47 million people out of the total population of about 4.74 million as of 4 p.m. local time on the 26th, and plan to finish testing by the 27th.