Nanjing Man Tests Positive for Coronavirus Weeks After Quarantine Ends

What’s new: A 19-year-old man in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing has been confirmed as an asymptomatic coronavirus case despite twice testing negative for the virus during his recent quarantine, raising the possibility that he may have passed the pathogen on to others.

The Chinese national, surnamed Zhou, flew to Nanjing from the United States on Aug. 11 and subsequently completed mandatory 14-day medical isolation, during which he returned two negative virus tests, according to a notice issued Thursday by the district-level command office in charge of monitoring Covid-19 infections imported from overseas.

He then tested positive on Tuesday and again on Wednesday, four weeks after entering China, the notice said. He is under observation at a public health center in Nanjing and is currently showing no symptoms.

Authorities have launched mass testing at Zhou’s workplace and nearby schools.

The background: Although China has recorded no new locally transmitted Covid-19 infections since Aug. 16, imported cases continue to hover in the low double digits.

Most returnees to China who have contracted the virus test positive while completing their two-week quarantine. But in rare cases, the virus may not be confirmed until up to one month after infection.

Contact reporter Matthew Walsh (matthewwalsh@caixin.com) and editor Heather Mowbray (heathermowbray@caixin.com)

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