Looking further into the case of a woman released from Wuhan Women’s Prison coming to Beijing (Chinascope posting: Local Government: A Woman Released from Wuhan Prison Went to Beijing), Beijing News found that the government did not report the coronavirus infection at the Wuhan Women’s Prison until February 21, though a guard was confirmed to have had the infection on January 29.

In its investigation report about the case of Ms. Huang’s coming to Beijing from Wuhan, the Hubei Provincial Commission on Disciplinary Inspection mentioned that a guard was confirmed to have had the infection on January 29.

However, the Hubei Provincial Prison Administration Bureau didn’t report anything until February 21, when it stated that there were 230 infection cases at the Wuhan Women’s Prison. On February 5, Hao Aimin, member of the Hubei Provincial Judicial Bureau Party Committee and Director of Hubei Provincial Prison Bureau went to Wuhan Women’s Prison to supervise the (epidemic) battle.

The Beijing News‘ report was no longer available on its website. Phoenix republished the article but later also removed it.

Related postings on Chinascope:

• Local Government: A Lady Released from Wuhan Prison Went to Beijing
• Hiding Information: Shanghai Authorities Closed a P3 Lab for Publishing Coronavirus Genome
• Hiding Information: Liaoning Province Ordered to Destroy Files Regarding Epidemic
• Hiding Information: Media Not Allowed to Report Coronavirus Outside Party Messages

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A few days ago, many Chinese media reported the story that a woman who was release from a Wuhan prison came to Beijing on February 22 and was confirmed with coronavirus two days later. People were asking how she managed to come to Beijing.

Hubei Daily, the newspaper under Hubei Provincial Communist Party Committee, reported on February 26 that Ying Yong, Hubei Provincial Party Secretary said it was absolutely not allowed to let such a case that bypassed traffic control happen. Hubei Party Commission for Disciplinary Inspection led the investigation.

On March 2, Beijing News reported the investigation result: Ms. Huang was serving a prison term due to a crime of corruption, at the Wuhan Women’s Prison. On January 29, a guard in her section of the prison was confirmed to have the novel coronavirus infection and Ms. Huang was in close contact with that guard. Ms. Huang finished serving her prison term on February 17, but stayed in the prison for “quarantine observation.” From February 17 to 21,the  prison checked her temperature 13 times; twice she had a temperature of 37.3 degree (celcius), which was at the borderline of a coronavirus symptom. On February 21, guards took Ms. Huang to the highway toll booth north of Wuhan to hand her over to her daughter and her daughter’s ex-husband. They then drove her all the way to Beijing on February 22. They managed to pass check points and took Ms. Huang to a residential neighborhood in Beijing.

The investigation team took action against several mid-level officials. It put the head of Hubei Provincial Judicial Department under further investigation; removed the head of Hubei Provincial Prison Bureau from his post and put him under further investigation and put the head of the Wuhan Prison, who had been removed from his position earlier due to the outbreak of the coronavirus infection at the prison, under further investigation.

Staff performing coronavirus checks at the entry points to Beijing were also punished.

Related postings on Chinascope:

• Local Government: Some People Stuck in Wuhan Became Homeless
• Local Government: Ying Yong Is in Full Control at Hubei Province
• Local Government: Xiaogan City, Hubei Province Sealed Residents’ Doors from Outside
• Local Government: Beijing Asked for “Protecting Patient’s Privacy”
• Local Government: Confiscating Each Other’s Medical Supplies

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Beijing News reported that, amidst the coronavirus outbreak in China, the China Performance Industry Association published a report on March 2. The report, titled, “The ‘Pause Key’ Continued and Nearly 8,000 Performances Were Cancelled in March,” stated that, based on statistics in over twenty provinces in China, nearly 8,000 performances in March were cancelled or postponed. The direct box office loss amounted to over 1 billion yuan (US $140 million). Continue reading →

Chen Jingyuan, Director of the Health Bureau, People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Central Military Commission’s Logistics and Support Department, stated that over 10,000 military healthcare workers have been engaged on the coronavirus epidemic control and, as of now, they have maintained “zero infection.”

Chen said that starting January 24, the PLA had sent three patches, with a total of over 4,000 medical staff members to Wuhan, including managing the Huoshenshan and other hospitals.

On the other hand, there has been a higher number of infections of healthcare staff members on the civilian side. China Business Network reported that, on February 17, there was a high-profile controversy between the National Health Commission and China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The National Health Commission reported over 1,700 medical staff members had been infected with the coronavirus, while China’s CDC reported more than 3,000 cases. The National Health Commission later said that the CDC count might have included medical professionals who were infected at home, not on the job.

Editor’s Note: Even the lower count of the civilian medial staff’s infections of 1,700 cases as of February 17 presented a big contrast to the military’s “zero infection.” Does that mean the military has a special effective protection measure or has not been actively engaged in patient treatment and is thus much less exposed to danger?

Related postings on Chinascope:

• Military: PLA Biological and Chemical Protection Soldiers Died in Wuhan
• Military: Wuhan Lab Has Close Ties to the PLA

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China Central Television (CCTV) reported that, by 10 a.m. on March 2, according to Yonhap News Agency, a South Korean news agency,  Korea’s Ministry of National Defense reported that 28 infection cases of coronavirus had accumulated within the military staff. A total of 9,790 soldiers were put under quarantine.

It also mentioned that, by then, the U.S. soldiers stationed in Korea had their first infection cases. Korea and the U.S. announced that they would postpone the U.S.-Korea military exercises which they had planned for early March. Continue reading →

Radio France International reported that, on the next day after Shanghai researchers published the world’s first novel coronavirus genome on the virologic.org website on January 11, the shanghai authorities closed the lab for rectification.

On January 5, Profession Zhang Yongzhen of the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center and School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, along with his research team, identified the genome of the coronavirus. They reported it to the National Health Commission and recommended proper measures to prevent it from spreading. However, they did not see any response from the government.

On January 11, Zhang’s team felt that the authorities did not want to take actions to help the public, so they decided to release the virus’ genome. “It is not about one’s fame, but rather facing a respiratory disease that was previously unknown, especially when there will be large-scale population travel during the Chinese New Year period,” a source familiar with Zhang’s team said.

It was said that the Shanghai Health Commission ordered Zhang’s lab to close. The lab is a biosafety level 3 lab (Chinese call it a P3 lab).

Related postings on Chinascope:

• Hiding Information: Liaoning Province Ordered to Destroy Files Regarding Epidemic
• Hiding Information: Media Not Allowed to Report Coronavirus Outside Party Messages

Continue reading →

Zhang Wenhong, the Director of the Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, at Fudan University, Shanghai and the head of the medical expert team to fight the novel coronavirus in Shanghai, expressed that he was worried to see Shanghai’s newly confirmed infection count was zero.

On February 27, Shanghai reported zero newly confirmed infection cases. “I’m concerned,” Zhang said. “How can it be zero with so many people coming into Shanghai? The more cases we find, the safer our city is.”

Related postings on Chinascope:

• Infection Count: Shandong Internal Report Had Much Higher Infection Counts Than the Published Numbers
• Infection Count: Caixin Showed Wuhan Civil Affairs Bureau Was Lying
• Infection Count: Changjiang Daily Reported a Coronavirus Case on a Day That the Government Reported Zero
• Infection Count: Over 230 Staffs at Wuhan Central Hospital Have Been Infected
• Infection Count: On February 13, Caixin Questioned Wuhan Infection Number

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Zhang Kejian, the Deputy Minister of Industry and Information Technology, stated that 32.8 percent or a little under one third, of small or mid-sized companies in China had resumed production.

The ratio was 43.1 percent for the manufacturing industry and more than 40 percent for the industries engaged in information transmission, software, and information technology services.

Zhang also said that the resuming production ratio for the small or mid-size companies has been increasing by 1 percent every day and the ratios for seven provinces is above 40 percent.

Related postings on Chinascope:

• Resuming Production: China’s Pollution Level Declined Due to Less Production and Travel
• Resuming Production: Xi Jinping Said Half of China’s Counties Do Not Have Coronavirus
• Resume Production: Hangzhou City Direction: Companies Can Punish Employees Refusing to Return to Work
• Resuming Production: E-Commerce Company Dangdang Found an Infection Case after Resuming Work
• Resuming Production: Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Sichuan Working on Resuming Production

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