What’s new: Sui Zhenhua, party chief and director of the Qingdao Health Commission has been suspended from his duties, according to a local government statement, amid the latest Covid-19 flare-up that emerged during the recent week long national holiday in Qingdao in East China’s Shandong province.
Deng Kai, head of Qingdao Chest Hospital where most of the cases were discovered, has also been removed from office and placed under investigation, according to the local government announcement (link in Chinese).
The background: The swift moves come about a week after the flare-up broke out last week in the port city. As of Wednesday, local health authorities have reported seven confirmed Covid-19 cases and six asymptomatic cases, most of which were closely associated with the Qingdao Chest Hospital which has been shut down since the outbreak.
The source of the outbreak is believed to be linked with two dock workers who tested positive and were treated in the hospital where the cluster of infections appeared, according to people close to the matter.
Contact reporter Lu Zhenhua (zhenhualu@caixin.com) and editor Marcus Ryder (marcusryder@caixin.com)
