內地過去一天新增200宗新冠確診病例，境外輸入病例佔125宗、本土病例佔75宗。
本土病例中廣東佔最多有31宗，其中深圳市23宗、東莞市7宗、中山市1宗；內蒙古14宗，其中呼和浩特市13宗、包頭市1宗；天津6宗，其中濱海新區4宗、東麗區2宗；廣西6宗，均在防城港市；雲南6宗，其中德宏傣族景頗族自治州5宗、臨滄市1宗；黑龍江4宗，其中牡丹江市3宗、雞西市1宗；江蘇3宗，均在蘇州市；湖北2宗，均在武漢市；山西1宗，在晉中市；海南1宗，在三亞市；四川1宗，在成都市。
無症狀感染新增144宗，其中境外輸入102宗，本土42宗，廣東佔最多。
各地持續有由香港輸入的個案。廣東72宗輸入感染中，63宗來自香港，主要集中在東莞。上海新增52宗輸入感染，44宗由香港出發。北京12宗輸入確診個案中，有10宗由香港輸入。
小心快速檢試劑或有毒性......用完唔好亂放........
Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
Some at-home rapid COVID-19 tests contain a toxic chemical that may be harmful to both children and adults, according to health officials.
The Cincinnati Drug and Poison Information Center reported an uptick in accidental exposures to a possibly toxic substance in at-home COVID-19 test kits, according to a blog post. Meanwhile, the National Poison Control Center issued a warning about the chemical.
“It is important to know that the extraction vial in many rapid antigen kits includes the chemical sodium azide as a preservative agent,” the center said. “The BinaxNow, BD Veritor, Flowflex, and Celltrion DiaTrust COVID-19 rapid antigen kits all contain this chemical.”
Sodium azide is a colorless, odorless powder that testers dip cotton swabs into. The chemical is found in herbicides, pest control agents, and airbags for cars.
“Small doses of sodium azide can lower blood pressure, and larger doses may cause more serious health effects,” an advisory from Health Canada also said. “ProClin is also found in many kits. It contains chemicals that can cause skin and eye irritation, as well as allergic reactions.”
Some hospitals around the United States say they have received a surge in phone calls about exposures to the chemical.
“We started getting our first exposures to these test kits around early November,” said Sheila Goertemoeller, pharmacist and clinical toxicologist for the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. “It was, really, all ages.”
“Mostly, I’ve been very worried about our young children.”
Accidental exposure is occurring among both children and adults, said Dr. Kelly Johnson-Arbor, with the National Capital Poison Center in Washington, told WNEP over the weekend.
“People might mistake them for eye drops. Children might drop it onto their skin. Adults will sometimes mistakenly put them into their eyes,” she said.
“You don’t want to leave it on the skin because it could potentially cause an allergic reaction or a skin rash.
“If someone drinks the solution, it’s really important to contact poison control right away. The solutions have different ingredients. Some have non-toxic ingredients and others have more dangerous ingredients.”
Officials told WNEP that there’s no need to throw away the test kits, but people should be mindful when using them.
“Use them properly, dispose of them properly, and it won’t cause an issue,” Dr. Jeffrey Jahre, with St. Luke’s University Health Network, told the outlet.
If you suspect you or someone you know has ingested the chemical, officials recommend not to make the person vomit. For eye exposures, rinse the eyes for 15 to 20 minutes with warm water. For skin exposures, rinse the skin well with tap water. Immediately check the Poison Control Center’s online tool for guidance or call poison control at 1-800-222-1222, the website says.
