A second wave of coronavirus (COVID-19) infections is sweeping through southern China. Cities throughout the region are reporting increasing numbers of new cases, even as authorities try to downplay the resurgence.

In Guangzhou, more than 10 new asymptomatic carriers of the coronavirus have been reported in recent days. This adds to the over 100 new infections that were reported in the city last month.

Meanwhile, the nearby city of Shenzen also reported new infections, mainly from people who had come from Guangzhou. This seems to indicate that the second wave was spreading further in southern China.

Second wave of infections from Guangzhou

On Sunday, Guangzhou’s municipal health commission announced that it had found one new asymptomatic carrier in the city’s Zengcheng district — the tenth officially reported case in the district. Other districts in Guangzhou have also reported outbreaks in April.

However, data from nearby regions indicates that the outbreak in the Zengcheng district might have occurred earlier than the ten cases.

On April 29, the Shenzen city government confirmed that one of its cases was a 29-year-old man who had arrived in the city from Guangzhou’s Zengcheng district. The patient had arrived in the city on April 22 and then started developing symptoms on April 24. The man eventually went to the Bao’an People’s Hospital on April 26 where he tested positive for the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region also announced a new case related to Zengcheng involving two residents who attended a gathering in the district. Xu Wanjie and his wife had visited the district, staying in a hotel there from April 12 to April 26. Upon returning home to Guanxi, they attended a large funeral reception, where at least 35 families were in attendance, and visited several areas.

On April 28, Guanzhou police contacted the couple, informing them that some of the other guests who had stayed in the same hotel as they did were diagnosed with the virus. Xu, his wife and hundreds of their close contact were now possible carriers of the coronavirus and could be placed under quarantine.

While Guangzhou police mentioned positive coronavirus cases in Zengcheng, authorities did not officially announce any patients with COVID-19 symptoms in the district. However, Guangzhou authorities have been known for reporting inconsistent data in the past. (Related: China’s response to COVID-19 is the latest in string of COVER-UPS and suppression.)

Similar situation unfolding in northern China

Provinces in the south of China aren’t the only ones that are looking at a second wave of coronavirus infections. Heilongjiang province in the country’s northeast is also experiencing a surge in new cases, despite official reports to the contrary.

Official figures for the city of Jiamusi show no new infections. However, reports from citizens are painting a different picture.

One resident, going by Ms. Zhang, told the Epoch Times that authorities were “building walls to isolate each building in the neighborhood” in the Xiangyang district where she lived. She also added that several residential compounds in the neighboring Qianjing district had been locked down as well.

“The security people at the checkpoints of our residential compound told us to stay at home because the outbreak is very severe,” said another resident, going by the name Mr. Li. “Some hotels are being used as quarantine centers.”

Meanwhile, Heilongjiang’s capital city Harbin is also experiencing a second wave of infections. Local authorities have admitted to cluster outbreaks at two of the city’s major hospitals, as well as in the neighborhoods of the Dawai district.

In addition to this, the city of Mudanjiang, which sits on the border with Russia, also reported outbreaks inside hospitals. The city has since initiated strict measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com 1

TheEpochTimes.com 2

WSJKW.HLJ.gov.cn