In China, Shanghai’s battle with the worst surge in Covid cases continued on Tuesday with the financial hub reporting more than 13,354 new cases, including 268 symptomatic ones for Monday, the sharpest increase in infections since the start of the pandemic.
Overall, mainland China reported a record 16,412 fresh Covid cases, another record high since early 2020. The total included 1,173 locally transmitted symptomatic cases for Monday, the national health commission (NHC) said in its daily report on Tuesday.
More than 38,000 medics from 15 Chinese provinces and cities are now in Shanghai to help contain the ongoing outbreak led by the fast-spreading Omicron variant of Covid.
The financial hub is battling its worst outbreak since the virus was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019, straining its health infrastructure and raising questions about China’s Covid-control policies.
Nearly the entire city is under lockdown after the two-staged staggered lockdown, which was put in place last Monday, failed to curb the spread.
“The number of cases exceeded 10,000 for the first time (in Shanghai), bringing the total to 13,354. In this wave of epidemics since March, more than 73,000 positive infections have been reported,” Gu Honghui, an official of the Shanghai municipal government said in a press conference Tuesday morning.
“The mutant strain of Omicron is spreading very fast and is highly concealed. At present, the epidemic situation in Shanghai is still running at a high level, and the situation is extremely severe,” Gu added.
“Over 11,000 medics have assumed responsibility for work in temporary hospitals, and over 23,000 medical workers are responsible for collecting nucleic acid samples,” Jiao Yahui, a senior NHC official said, according to a news agency report.
Nearly 4,000 people have been dispatched to support the work in the Covid-19 testing lab, the report said.
By late on Monday, Shanghai had finished collecting samples for nucleic acid testing from its nearly 25 million residents.
“With the active cooperation of the local residents, the city finished the latest round of nucleic acid sampling work on April 4,” the office of the Shanghai municipal leading group for Covid-19 prevention and control said in a statement early on Tuesday. Shanghai conducted the citywide nucleic acid testing on Monday after a mass antigen testing on Sunday.
“The city has been placed under temporary closed-off management after surging Covid-19 infections were logged in recent days,” the Xinhua report said.
Medical experts, according to report in the state-run tabloid Global Times, said the latest outbreak in Shanghai is larger on scale than Wuhan in early 2020, but less severe and with less direct losses given increased knowledge of the virus, and accumulated experience in mobilising resources.