Foshan official urges contiued COVID vigilance

The number of fever patients has fallen in Foshan, Guangdong province, after the city passed its peak period in late December, a senior official said.

Major hospitals in Foshan, which once received more than 30,000 fever patients in one day, Dec 20, treated only 2,110 fever patients on Sunday, said Zhou Zixiao, deputy mayor of Foshan.

At a news conference on Monday, Zhou said the peak period for fever patients in Foshan has passed. And she urged medical institutions to remain on high alert, make vigorous efforts to shore up medical resource reserves and improve their treatment ability.

She said government departments should actively promote vaccinations among seniors to help the elderly get inoculated against COVID-19 in the coming months.

Residents of Foshan have received a total of more than 29 million doses of vaccine as of Sunday, with more than 10.6 million people having received two doses.

"The vaccination rate in Foshan has now reached 80.83 percent," Zhou said.

Starting Sunday, government departments have begun to close previous centralized quarantine sites and standardize disinfection and sterilization of all public venues to ensure that people from all walks of life can return to work smoothly, safely and soon, Zhou said.

More than 200 job fairs will be held after the Chinese New Year to help local companies recruit more than 20,000 workers and restore and expand production, she said.

Located about 20 kilometers from Guangzhou, Guangdong province, Foshan is a major global production center.

The city, which is the hometown of kung fu legend Bruce Lee, will organize a series of cultural and entertainment events, including lion dancing, theatrical performances, fireworks and temple fairs during the Spring Festival holiday period beginning on Jan 21, Zhou added.