According to reports, a “superspreader” vendor has been linked to more than 100 COVID-19 cases after traveling in northeastern China to promote products to the elderly.
The 45-year-old man unknowingly spread the virus as he traveled from his home province of Heilongjiang to the neighboring province of Jilin, reports Agence France-Presse.
The man, who was asymptomatic, traveled through the region during the tour to give workshops for seniors in health care, but boarded at least four trains before officials tracked him down, reports South Morning Post.
Health officials in Jilin said 102 infections were related to his trip to the cities of Gongzhuling and Tonghua.
“The phenomenon of over-spread has occurred in our province, mainly because he discovered the super-distributor, he was still in the early stages of his infection and had a relatively strong ability to shed the virus,” said Zhao Qinglong, a Jilin Provincial Disease Control and Prevention Officer. center, the state-run newspaper Xinhua said.
The outbreak comes as more than 3 million people in the province have been placed under surveillance, reports AFP.
Officials are investigating whether the health clubs where the salesman held his programs violated any guidelines, the stores reported.