Local officials in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) said Wednesday that one member of a Uyghur family of four had contracted the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), in what would be the first confirmed case of the virus among the region’s Uyghur ethnic minority
The officials said the four family members reside in Dongmazar township, in Ili Kazakh (in Chinese, Yili Hasake) Autonomous Prefecture’s Ghulja (Yining) county, which has been entirely sealed off
Pehridin Helil, a 75-year-old pensioner, was identified by a local official as a positive case
“Perhridin has two sons and some grandchildren. We have heard that the four of them were taken to the city for treatment, while the other family members were isolated,” said the Sheyih resident.
Sheyih village’s party secretary, Abdurrahman, confirmed one of the four suspected cases in response to questions from RFA
“I can tell you that Pehridin is infected and getting treatment in Ghulja city but I cannot tell you whether the other three are positive or suspected cases. If you would like to inquire further about this, please call the Crisis Management Command Center,” he said
While it is possible that other Uyghurs may be infected with the virus and that these four confirmed cases may not be the first, Chinese state media does not include the ethnicity of confirmed cases in reports
As of Wednesday afternoon, there were 76 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Xinjiang, with 20 recoveries and one death
It was not immediately clear if Pehridin Helil or any of his family were counted among these numbers