COVID infections linked in Guangzhou

The eastern part of the Heyuan community in Guangzhou's Liwan district was elevated from a designated low-risk area to a medium-risk area on Wednesday after an assessment by medical experts.

Newly discovered cases of coronavirus infection in recent days have alarmed officials and residents, leading to the introduction of measures to prevent any further spread.

Several confirmed cases of COVID-19, as well as asymptomatic carriers, have been identified either in Liwan district or in people connected in some way to residents there.

The latest patient, a 17-year-old surnamed Song, is a vocational school student in Guangzhou's Haizhu district.

Song went to a local clinic seeking medical help when she contracted a fever on Tuesday night. A test for coronavirus came came back positive and was confirmed on Wednesday morning, according to a statement released by Haizhu district government later in the day.

Song, the niece of a 74-year-old woman who was confirmed with the infection earlier, is believed to caught the coronavirus from her aunt, also surnamed Song. The aunt, whose infection was detected in Liwan district on Tuesday, had visited the younger woman on Saturday.

The aunt's 11-year-old grandson, surnamed Xu, was also found to be infected, while her 38-year-old daughter-in-law, surnamed Lei, was confirmed infected but asymptomatic on Tuesday. The three live together in Heyuan community.

The aunt is believed to have caught the coronavirus from a woman surnamed Guo. She had breakfast at a local restaurant that Guo, 75, had visited last week. Guo's coronavirus test confirmed her infection on Friday. Guo's husband, surnamed Lu, 76, was confirmed with the infection on Sunday.

A woman at the restaurant surnamed Yao, 47, who served Guo without a face mask was found later to be infected but asymptomatic.

To prevent the coronavirus from spreading in the city, Liwan and Haizhu districts have launched epidemiological investigations and disinfection procedures at the public venues the patients had visited.

Meanwhile, all the residents in the two districts have been ordered to be tested.