China has put one northern city in lockdown and launched citywide coronavirus testing in another, after two local infections involving workers at a port and trade zone respectively, authorities have said.

There was one new case each in Dongning and Suifenhe, which both sit on the country's border with Russia.

In Dongning, a 40-year-old maintenance worker at a port tested positive on Thursday, triggering the latest measures.

Officials there said Saturday it would enter "wartime mode" — temporarily suspending public bus services and road transport, while requiring anyone leaving the city to produce a negative Covid-19 test from the preceding 24 hours.

Schools will suspend classes and dine-in will be banned at restaurants, while in higher-risk areas only one member of each household will be allowed to leave the home once every two days to buy daily necessities — for no longer than two hours each time.

In the Suifenhe case, a 39-year-old man who works as a loading and unloading worker at a trade zone tested positive.

Both cities on Friday announced the launch of citywide testing, expected to be completed in three days.

China — where the virus first surfaced late last year — has largely brought domestic transmission under control but recently reported local outbreaks in several cities.

State media blamed the recent clusters on imports of frozen food and other shipments.

After a recent outbreak in Chengdu, officials said the virus was found on food stored in an elderly couple's fridge.

There is currently no evidence that people can catch Covid-19 from food or food packaging, according to the World Health Organization.

Peru suspends clinical trials of Chinese Covid vaccine
Lima (AFP) Dec 12, 2020 –

Peru has temporarily suspended clinical trials of a Covid vaccine made by Chinese drug giant Sinopharm after detecting neurological problems in one of its test volunteers.

The National Institute of Health said Friday that it had decided to interrupt the trial after a volunteer had difficulty moving their arms, according to local media.

"Several days ago we signaled, as we are required, to the regulatory authorities that one of our participants (in trials) presented neurological symptoms which could correspond to a condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome," said chief researcher German Malaga in comments to the press.

Guillain-Barre syndrome is a rare and non-contagious disorder which affects the movement of the arms and legs. Peru declared a temporary health emergency in five regions in June last year following multiple cases.

In the 1970s a campaign to innoculate Americans against a supposedly devastating strain of swine flu ground to a halt after some 450 of those vaccinated developed the syndrome, which can also cause paralysis.

Peru's clinical trials for the Sinopharm vaccine were due to conclude this week, after testing around 12,000 people.

If they are successful — which won't be known until mid-2021 — the Peruvian government was expected to buy up to 20 million doses to inoculate two-thirds of its population.

60,000 across the globe have already taken the Sinopharm vaccine, including volunteers in Argentina, Russia and Saudi Arabia.

Peru has one of the world's highest per capita death rate from the virus, which as of Friday had caused 36,499 deaths and 979,111 infections.

The pandemic has hit the South American country's economy hard, with GDP plunging more than 30 percent in the second quarter.