Effect of Lockdown and Mass Testing for the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Epidemic on Reducing New Infections in Shenzhen, China

On 14 March 2022, China’s tech hub Shenzhen, a mega-city with more than 18 million inhabitants, imposed a one-week citywide lockdown immediately after it observed a surge in infections. We assessed the effect of this one-week lockdown, coupled with mass testing, on reducing the daily number of new confirmed cases and asymptomatic cases during the Omicron wave, using an interrupted time series analysis approach. Our analysis suggests that the one-week citywide lockdown in Shenzhen was effective at lowering both daily new confirmed cases and asymptomatic cases during the Omicron wave. Early detection ensures timely isolation and treatment of infected patients in designated hospitals, and therefore helps lower the prevalence of confirmed cases and asymptomatic cases. Our findings of the immediate increase in asymptomatic cases after lockdown warrant further verifications in other city epidemic scenarios.